Defiance
by love comes and goes
Summary: I had already defied the law of the universe by becoming the first female Werewolf in existence. I didn't see why not becoming romantically involved with my imprint seemed like such a big deal - even if it was Jacob Black. Follows Canon Events.
1. Chapter 1

I was drowning in my sorrows and I had an audience watch me as I fell apart. It was horrible and I felt violated and I was just going to SCREAM.

_I'll ask Sam if we can just leave you alone for a bit._ Jared voice suddenly cut in. Damn it, now I was feeling guilty. Its not like any of the other idiots asked for this either. But I needed my anger. It was my coping mechanism.

At least I knew none of the kids were taking it personally. I was glad that Seth was allowed to stay with my mom, that way he wouldn't have to see his older sister's thoughts. I prided myself in keeping Seth innocent and protected and though it irked me that Seth had phased before I had, it also meant that he was already getting the hand of phasing while I was still stuck in my wolf form as an emotional wreck. He could take care of mom while I was out of commission.

_Yeah whatever, you're just scared I'll attack you_, I stated with a growl. That was another thing that annoyed the hell out of me.

Sam, yes the very same Sam that I was once going to marry and live happily ever after with but then dumped me for my cousin Emily (though technically I dumped him since I caught them making out on my doorstep and cursed up a storm before kicking them out of my property and yelled that Sam was no longer welcomed anywhere near me and to take my whore of a cousin with him but it was an empty victory), was our _leader_.

Top Dog, the Head Hancho, and, ugh, the Alpha male.

If that wasn't enough, it was my fault that my Dad died.

I had been visiting from UCLA in Southern California (Yes I was going to _be _someone. Fuck what the world thought of us Indians) and I had been chilling on the couch after defeating Seth in a round of Halo.

My mood quickly soured when my brother showed up again from the kitchen (and I was wondering if all the eating he did had something to with the unnatural height for a fourteen year old he had been sporting.) with a basket of muffins that had Emily written all over them.

I had been getting over Sam. I really had, but I was still hurting over the betrayal. He cheated on me with my _cousin_, we had been closer than sisters and yet she went and had done that. But after a year, I had been making progress and I no longer screamed at any idiot for bringing up or mentioning the traitor and I had learned to remain indifferent and ignore that tiny pang in my heart.

But it had been a weird week and everything was pissing me off and just the sight of those muffins were enough to set me off and I was yelling at Seth for fraternizing with the enemy when my Dad had showed up, hearing the yelling and asked me to calm down.

Thats all it took.

Next thing you know I was a four-legged beast and my dad had fallen flat on his ass, clutching his left arm and hyperventilating as he looked up at me wide eyed. I was freaking out, and realized I wasn't making any words, just bark and gurgles and everything was clearer and just seemed so fragile and then Seth was next to my Dad screaming for me to calm down before I hurt dad and then – black.

My father suffered a heart attack induced by his only daughter turning into a huge bitch... literally.

Jared phased then and suddenly I was left to wallow in my thoughts, on my own and I wish Jared hadn't left me. If I had been going crazy before, I was going to turn outright insane on my own. I was still getting used to the wilderness and the ingrained instincts of just knowing where I was. Knowing that I could never get lost should have been a comfort but that was precisely what I wanted to do.

Get lost and never be found.

Just from the smell, I could tell that I was somewhere in Forks and on a route that was frequented by the pack. It was odd because it was really close to a house from what I could hear of a car going down a road.

"ISABELLA SWAN!" Someone yelled. God damn, the dude had some lungs. Actually... Swan? Wasn't that Charlie Swan? Didn't that mean it was the Bella chick that ran with the Vamps? Out of curiosity I headed toward the house to see what all the drama was about.

The wind blew and suddenly a sickly sweet smell of flowers drenched in bleach entered my sensitive nose and I headed toward the direction to see if it was something I should be worried about after I smelt someone familiar, I slid to a stop to keep from running into a tree while I dealt with the new smell.

I'm pretty sure it was Jacob who was there and though I hadn't actually seen him in the almost two weeks that I had been back home, Jared had given me the rundown on who was a wolf and what they smelt like so that I would know, so even though it was diluted, I was still pretty sure it was him, some Veggie Vamp, and a human.

I barked, to warn the stupid Vamp that whatever happened, Jacob had back up, and got closer just in case.

I peaked behind a bush to see what was going on but Jacob was suddenly _right there_ and I jumped back, surprised out of my mind. The kid had some good stealth.

Um, not kid? Looking at him clearly, I realized that he was no longer the awkward boy they used to sattle with Seth for me to take care of. In fact, he didn't even look like a boy or a teenager, more like an adult. It made me feel a bit bad. Did I really miss so much in my time away from home or was it all this Supernatural nonsense that was to blame?

"I'm sorry!"

I blinked and tried looking around him to see who was apologizing (And, holy shit seriously, he was still almost as tall as me even in wolf form?), but then Jacob was shaking like he was about burst out of his body and I really couldn't understand why.

"What are you doing over here?" He asked through clenched teeth.

Yeah, I'll tell you right now you dumb fuck. Ask a wolf a question and maybe she'll defy logic and speak – just for you. Sheesh, our reunion in over a year and this was how he acts? Maybe I should teach him a lesson and bite him?

I rolled my eyes before meeting his and suddenly it feels like I've left reality. Like we were floating or something, and, as a spirit, I was human again and all I could see was Jacob Black.

All those people I've met in my life were disappearing and Jacob was becoming brighter and more important as they left and I was just so. fucking. confused.

What the _hell_ was going on?

* * *

**I've read about two or three Leah/Jacob imprint stories. I'm sure there are more than that but I haven't had a chance to look at the fandom much so I wouldn't know. Hopefully this stays away from anyone else's plot. **

**Unfortunately, I think chapters will get longer as I get into Eclipse. We're at the end of New Moon, just in case anyone forgot how that went. Jacob snitched on Bella for the bikes and Charlie's pissed and Leah walks in on the moment after.**

**Yes, I did actually go look at the book to remember how that went.**

**So thats that and I hope you review and come back for the next chapter. **


	2. Chapter 2

All the connections I have ever made in my life just suddenly fell limply to the ground and then, it was like two new strings, one various shades of russet reds and browns that came straight at me and the other, an odd mesh of greens and blues (like jade, sage, or, hell, the forest itself blooming Corydalises, Violas, and even Agapanthuses) which I instinctively realized was the representations of ourselves.

The two strings or maybe even steel cables from how strong they seemed, met in the center and melded together perfectly.

There was no knot. They just fused, becoming one, the colors mixing into an influx of something that human words just couldn't describe. It was an amazing feeling and I was left breathless but so inexplicably _complete_ that I couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't a bad thing at all.

The process done, everything remained quite, despite the now distant yells of what had to be the Chief of Police yelling at his daughter and all the wildlife that existed in the forest. Even that was just background noise to me as I couldn't take my attention off of Jacob who seemed just as fixed on me as I on him.

There were so many questions going through my head, none of them I could voice in my current form and the chaos going on up there was giving me a blinding headache and maybe all this would be easier if I was _human_.

Maybe then I wouldn't have to deal with all the smells and noises and maybe I'd be able to clear my head of Jacob because even through all of this there was this little chant underneath everything that kept saying _Jacob Black, Jacob, Jake, Jake, Jake_ and, fuck, that wasn't helping one bit.

I clutched my eyes closed and collapsed onto the ground, shoving my head between my paws and just willing everything to stop for at least a minute so I could gather my bearings and make sense of everything.

"Are you okay?" Jacob's voice rang through and it wasn't the prepubescent thing that choked up when I left for my plane, it was a deep man voice laced with worry and panic – for _me_ and it made me feel guilty for making him worry.

_I'm not okay_.

I was dizzy and confused and I just want to have to legs again. None of these heightened senses, or fur, or –

_Human, human, human!_

I was desperate and maybe if I visualized myself as a human I would turn back and – holy mother fucking grail, it was actually working! My bones were shifting and my muscles contracting and I winced at the sensations and the feelings of being forcefully repressed.

"L-leah!" Jacob's voice cracked and it made me smile because it sounded like that one time I caught him reading a Playboy magazine and... oh. Right, I was naked. Jared warned me about that. I instinctively covered the girls and remained on the ground as to not show any other girly parts.

Points for Jacob though because as soon as he got over the fact that I was naked, he removed his shirt and helped me put it on. It was big enough to reach mid-thigh so I stood and looked up at him, suddenly feeling very small when I only reached his chest.

"I know how weird it feels to phase back for the first time." Jacob said with an understanding smile.

I was mesmerized.

His eyes were this intense dark brown – nearly black from the way he was staring at me and I had to repress a shiver. My little Jake had grown up.

And without conscious effort, we gravitated toward each other getting close, though I was only level with his chest and he had to look down at me and I craned my head to look up at him and, shit, was I small compared to him. We were in this perfect angle to kiss but gratefully neither he nor I made any move to connect our lips and I was glad. This whole situation would be made much more complicated if we kissed.

"I can't believe it." Jacob murmured, his lips suddenly closer to mine. I could literally feel his breath on my face and I blinked a few times to regain my bearings.

"What?" The sound of my voice broke the spell and I started thinking again and – fuck, where the hell was I again?

"I think we've imprinted." Jake answered, furrowing his eyebrows, pulling back with physical effort.

"I-imprinted?" That was a term Sam and Jared used a few times. Though not so much Sam as Jared. I had phased while Sam was patrolling and he nearly had a heart attack at the sound of my thoughts and all I caught was imprinting and the picture of Emily before he started asking me questions that hadn't really helped the situation at all. Sam had the sense to realize that he was overwhelming me and told me to stay where I was and went to get Jared so he could explain everything to me.

Unlike Sam (who I wouldn't have listened to anyway) Jared was good at being a professional so he just explained the gist of it. That it was the reason why he couldn't stop thinking about that one chick Kim or whatever and that it was a rare thing to happen and that I didn't have to worry about it.

Clearly, the dumbass was wrong.

"I- this – I can't." Jacob grabbed his head in confusion and I couldn't stop myself when I poked his cheek, bringing his attention back to me. I grabbed his wrist and uncurled his fingers from the tight fist he was starting to make.

"Explain." I said softly. As confused as I was (And I was CONFUSED) Jacob was in distress and there was something in my very soul that was compelling me to comfort him. I chalked it up to old habits because once upon a time - when I wasn't completely consumed by my relationship with Sam - I took care of Jacob. And the pull or urge or whatever the hell it was, was just bringing out my older sister tendencies.

"Its finding your soul mate." Jacob began, his voice filled with something I couldn't really understand. "Your other half, the person you can't live without. The elders think it happens to pass on the wolf gene."

"So... we don't really know why it happens?" Of course. Just like they didn't think it was possible for a girl to phase but, obviously, there I was, half naked after turning back into a human for the first time in days. Regardless, it was a huge concept to take in but I didn't want to fall apart like Jacob was struggling not to do. I was the adult so I had to keep calm so we could handle it one step at a time.

"No, its just a theory." He answered.

"Who else imprinted?" I already had an idea but I just needed it confirmed.

"Sam and Jared." Jacob said, squeezing my hand. I hadn't realized that I still had Jacob's hand but it certainly made me feel better.

"On Emily, right?" I gasped out, waiting for the little pain in my heart whenever I said her name. I had really been getting over Sam – time heals all wounds after all, but the past few days had been very emotional for me and it was like the world was trying to open old wounds along with making new ones.

"Yeah..."

"I... guess its hard to compete with the universe." I managed, still waiting on the waterworks. What the hell was wrong with me? Just a few minutes ago I was an emotional wreck and now that I found out what had _really_ happened to take the love of my life away from me, and by some weird mystical power out there, I was fine?

In fact, I was feeling like I got this weight off my shoulders – and holy shit was I _smiling_?

"L-leah?" Jacob muttered, alarmed. It looked like he was waiting for some sort of different reaction like I was.

"Is it just me or does it seem like nothing else but you matters?" I mumbled, frowning.

"Its not just you." Jake answered, mimicking my frown.

"I can't decide if that's a good or bad thing." I admitted hesitantly. Something about this whole situation was making me want to be truthful. On the one hand, the little ache in my heart looked like it wasn't going to bother me whenever someone mentioned relationships and cousins anymore, but on the other, I had once promised myself to never be consumed by a relationship again, which this imprint thing was clearly making me do. It felt so wrong for those feelings and people to just suddenly feel like they were ants compared to Jacob.

"I don't know. Five minutes ago I felt like my heart got ripped out of me and now I'm just... fine." Jacob muttered, his voice filled emotion.

"And five minutes ago I was... not in a good place." I admitted sighing.

"I'm sorry about Harry." Jacob said, his voice full of remorse. I don't know why but my eyes were starting to water. I can't believe I was going to cry again. I thought I had cried enough during the funeral that I wasn't able to attend because I was huge fucking wolf.

"I-I couldn't even phase back for the funeral." I choked out, rubbing my eyes furiously. I hadn't been aware that I was able to cry anymore. It was just that the guilt was eating away at me. It was my fault he died and I didn't even have the decency to be at the funeral or be there for my brother and mother.

"C'mere." Jake muttered, pulling me into a hug. It was weird but it slowly ebbed away at the guilt and so I didn't resist.

"The yelling stopped." I mumbled into his chest. I wonder how long we stood there.

Suddenly, Jacob tensed against me.

"Crap. Edward just heard everything." Jacob muttered, groaning into my shoulder.

"Thats a bad thing because...?"

"Well, five minutes ago I was completely in love with his girlfriend." He answered, stepping back. He grabbed my hand and began pulling me deeper into the forest.

"You were in love with a Vamp?" I muttered, scrunching my nose in disgust.

"I was in love with Bella Swan." Jacob corrected me, probably disgusted at what I had implied.

"You mean that really clumsy little girl that used to be scared of me?" I asked, remembering the little girl. Our dads had always been avid fishers and when Charlie's kid was in town, we were all put together.

"...Yeah. That's her." Jacob answered, sending me a small melancholic smile. It made me frown because I just kind of knew why he was acting weird (not that I was a good judge at what or wasn't off about Jacob seeing as I'd been gone for school) and the fact that Jacob wasn't taking this too good which was making _me_ feel shitty.

"Jake I... I can't function like this." I said as we continued our way through the foliage.

For a second, I was distracted by our movements. The way we so seamlessly moved around branches and jumped over bushes. It wasn't like we weren't able to navigate through the forest before but it was like we were a part of the forest itself, not disturbing anything as we passed through and it made me step back in awe. Jacob was especially good at this. I was still trying to get used to my abilities but I'd heard that Jacob had taken to it marvelously and watching him from behind as he lead me through, I could see it clearly. It wasn't much of a surprise though because it was obvious that Jacob was better than- gah!

"Seriously! I can't stop thinking about how fucking _amazing_ you are and all we're doing is _walking_!" I yelled, frustrated.

"I can't stop thinking about how great it feels to have your hand in mine." Jacob added. So it worked both ways – that made it marginally better, sort of. The idea that he held me on a high pedestal was a bit daunting and flattering at the same time. Like the way a child looked up to a mother or something and, fuck - I just remembered that I was four years older than the kid.

"...You're sixteen." I mumbled, using my free hand to a run a hand down my face. If the reservation wasn't already talking about the "La Push Gang" then they were going to have a field day with Leah's choice of boy toy, so to speak. God, I hoped it didn't reach Rachel's or Rebecca's ears any time soon.

"Not that I look like I'm sixteen." Jacob muttered, looking back at me.

"You're sixteen." Seriously, it didn't make it any better dumbass.

"What is with girls and age?" Jake mumbled, a bit disgruntled. I had no idea what the fuck he was talking about and I wasn't too keen on caring yet.

We continued walking and it was comfortable and peaceful which it shouldn't have been. I was confused and left wondering what we were going to do and what was going to happen. However, I didn't voice my questions and Jacob seemed like he wasn't going to provide any answers.

We trudged on and I could only think that we were going to have to figure it out at as we went along.

* * *

**It _is_ kind of an abrupt ending but that's the best place I could think of that wouldn't kill the direction I was going for which in the next chapter. **

**Thanks for all the reviews.**


	3. Chapter 3

I was tired.

Even though physically, I was in tip top shape – better than before in fact – emotionally, I had been all over place but with the sudden imprint, its like everything just froze and formed a line behind stupid Jacob Black.

Which still didn't explain how I had arrived to my current location: on Jacob's bed.

My eyes were heavy, half-lidded but it wasn't enough to put me to sleep and so I stared at the ceiling in contemplation. I wanted to play with a piece of my hair as I used to but because stupid mother fucking Sam ordered it, I had to chop off my long silky hair. And so the best I could do was chew on it which wasn't at all therapeutic as it used to be.

And so, I continued staring up at the ceiling, wondering how I ended up on the kid's bed, my train of thought interrupted by pains in my stomach. I could remember the events leading up to my taking over his bed but I couldn't figure out how the kid had managed to make me stay.

"Here. Its bad for a werewolf not to eat. Our metabolism is like five times faster than anybody else's and we eat at least five or six times a day." Jacob appeared at the door, brandishing a tray full of chips, sandwiches and a pair of two liter sodas.

Ah, now I remembered. I was enticed by the prospect of food.

My stomach chose that moment to send me a cramp of hunger pains for not feeding it since I had first phased. It was especially painful this time because the aroma of food that entered my nose, heightened by my new wolf senses and sat up, wincing and clutching my stomach.

Jacob set the tray on the bed and I pounced on the sandwich, shoving more than half it in my mouth.

Fuck – food had never tasted so good!

Before I knew it, everything but a few crumbs that escaped my mouth was gone and I sighed in contentment, glad that my hunger was sated for now. I was still a little bit hungry but I figured I did enough of mooching off of Billy's food. I knew how financially tight they were after all.

My mind no longer overruled by hunger, I looked up to Jacob who was... smiling at me?

"What?" I snapped, not too comfortable with the gleeful expression.

"Its weird seeing a chick eat that fast." Jacob commented, his smile getting bigger when I wiped the crumbs off my face.

"Shut up." I said, punching his shoulder in retaliation and to hide my embarrassment. Jake merely laughed and gathered both trays and moving them off the bed in the mean time. The bed was small and with all the trash, it was hard to be comfortable with two people on it.

I laid my head on the pillow, returning to my earlier position but much more comfortable this time with the trays out of the way. I wasn't sure why but for some reason, the fact that Jake was there just made me more relaxed – especially because we weren't trying to figure out the complicated things.

"So about the imprint..."

I spoke too soon.

"Look, Jacob, I'm- I can't deal with this. I have enough on my plate as it is without having to do... whatever it is imprints do and its annoying because I can't even remember why I was such an emotional wreck before because all I can think about is you. I can't revert to the way I was with Sam. It isn't healthy- just look at the mess I am now-"

"You aren't a mess." Jacob interrupted, stopping me from my rant. "Your heart was broken and your just... mending the pieces."

That was... really sweet and pretty insightful for a teenager. I couldn't deny how much that one sentence made me feel so much better. But I couldn't help but add some more travesties on my part.

"I used to take care of you and Seth, Jake. And then Sam came in and suddenly it was all about him and I started seeing you less and less and Seth stopped talking to me and I... deserved Sam leaving me." Because I had wrapped myself in this bubble that only included Sam and I and our future together. I stopped caring about the people important to me, only seeing Sam, and when there was no more Sam, suddenly I was so alone that it didn't seem right to lean on my families for help and so I left for University to just start over... which didn't really solve anything. It just made me forget my problems for a while.

"Don't take all the responsibility, idiot. I didn't try to go see you either. And it wasn't like you just stopped caring about us. You still took care of me for the first year and half and you still helped us out with Dad and you still let Seth go along on the occasional date that happened less and less because he started getting more friends just like I did. We all got wrapped up in our own lives, Lee, and none of ours ended up working out." Jacob explained. I blinked, still amazed by Jacobs rather adult insight and I almost wish I hadn't gone to UCLA because I missed the transition from boy to man.

"When did you grow up Jake?"

Jacob blinked at my question, unable to answer as he looked around the room in embarrassment.

"If its any consolation... I'm glad it was you I imprinted on Jacob." I said with a smile.

Jacob's answering smile was breathtaking.

* * *

I blinked a few times, confused by the darkness, before remembering that I had fallen asleep talking to Jacob. Once my eyes got adjusted, I realized how close I was to him, our faces but an inch away from each other as he snored lightly.

We talked about stuff that didn't involve the supernatural. It was mostly things that happened before we phased and as we grew closer to the present, Bella's name was brought up more and more and I had to know how much Jacob had fallen in love with her.

And so the topic went on into relationships and it came to my attention how little experience Jacob had in that area. It didn't make me doubt Jacob's love for her, just pissed me off even more that she was stupid enough to pick some vampire over him.

But we didn't focus on that for long, as Jacob was clearly uncomfortable with the subject, and it moved to my time in University.

The first two months were spent settling in and making friends, the four months after that dating, partying, anything and everything to get my mind off of home. It was stupid and childish when I said it out loud but it had been my escape, a way to start my own life just to see if I could make one that didn't involve the rez.

I guess my moving woke him up and I picked up where we had stopped.

"I have a boyfriend-" I mentioned, rubbing my eyes, "-but its one based on sex." I added truthfully. I turned my head to look at him and it took me a moment to process the barely noticeable red tint on his cheeks as a blush, and I blinked a few times.

"Are you blushing?" I asked incredulous, pushing up on my elbows to get a better look.

"Well – I mean – you can't just say something like that expect me to take it in stride!" Jacob defended, his blush deepening.

"You're such a virgin." I cooed, unable to resist tease him.

"Sor_ry_ for not being a sexually active teenager." Jacob mumbled with a pout. God, he was such a kid. I laughed, unable to deny how funny the pout looked on him and I leaned over, pinching his cheeks.

"Hey!"

"Never be sorry for being a virgin. I just hope you can lose it to someone you love." I said in a sage-like manner.

The fact that _I_ was supposed to be the person he loved was spectacularly ignored.

"Although," I began, getting comfortable on Jacob's chest by setting my face into my hands and digging my elbows on top of him, ignoring his protests, "there's something to be said about a guy whose all about pounding into you. Sure the foreplay isn't all that great but-"

I stopped short because the front door to his house was slammed open and some rather frantic questions on Jacob's whereabouts were thrown Billy's way before there was running headed toward Jacob's room. I began getting off of Jake but the door was opened before I had gotten completely off of him.

"There you are Jake, Leah's-" Embry choked off his sentence and gaped at us two and I got up, raising an eyebrow at the kid.

"Leah's what?" I goaded.

"You phased back?" Embry squawked unattractively.

"No, I'm still a wolf – of course I phased back you dumb ass." I yelled, fighting the urge to swat him over the head.

"Damn it... that means you hold the record now." Embry muttered..

"Record?"

"Most of us couldn't phase back for two weeks, Jacob held the record with a week and four days but obviously, you phased back in five, giving you the record." Embry explained.

"Oh." Hm, that _did_ make me feel pretty cool.

"So why were you freaking out before?" Jacob cut in, getting off of the bed.

"Oh, right. We left Leah alone 'cause she was all emotional and when Jared phased back like two hours later, it was quiet and Jared freaked out, scared that something happened and then Sam freaked out when Jared told him and they looked for you but the scent was old and you were all over the place and so they called the rest of us but nobody knew where Jake was which is why I came to look for you here."

"So maybe we should cut the small talk and tell them to stop freaking out?" Jacob suggested, amused. We exited his room, it being a lot harder than warranted but with two huge muscular guys, it was hard to get through the door comfortably.

Apparently, Jacob's backyard was where they were all gathered because I was immediately assaulted by my brother Seth.

"Don't _ever_ do that again." Seth said, hugging me fiercely.

It was the hard slap of reality waking me from my Jacob induced dream. How could I have forgotten that my home was left in shambles because of my father's death? How could I have forgotten that I had been in mourning?

"Sorry." I mumbled, feeling my eyes prickling. I was a horrible older sister. I didn't care that the whole pack was watching because Seth needed the comfort and I hadn't been around to take care of him. It didn't matter that I couldn't wrap my arms around his shoulders and pick him up like I used to – he pulled it off for me instead.

Suddenly another pair of arms pulled me away from, albeit lightly, but still an over all moment-killer.

"My shirt isn't _that_ big." Jake explained with an apologetic smile.

"I guess the prevention of showing my lady parts to a bunch of horny boys _is _reason enough for me to not kill you." I muttered, still feeling the urge as I wiped my eyes.

I turned back to Seth and he had his brows were furrowed, looking between me and Jake.

Ah crap.

"Why were you with Jake instead of-"

"Right. Um, about that. Me and Jake may have, sort of, kindofimprinted." I mumbled quickly as possible, scratching my cheek as I looked away from my brother's reaction. Bad move.

I happened to turn to where Sam was and watched as his eyes widened like saucers. He looked between Jake and I and out of the corner of my eyes, I could tell Paul, Embry, and Jared were doing the same.

But unlike the rest of them, Sam face, for a few seconds, contorted into some odd mixture of anger and pain before composing himself and flashing me a sad smile.

"...Oh. That's kind of big." Seth finally said, obviously at a loss at what to feel.

"You're telling me." Jacob agreed beside me. I rolled my eyes and decided that we had dilly-dallied enough. Seth was a reminder that just because I wanted a break, didn't mean the world was going to stop right along with me. I'm sure my mother was neck deep in worry and with all the pain momentarily numbed, I figured that the woman needed a break and that I would take care of everything in her place.

"Well, as you can see, I'm fine and there's no need to be here so why don't you guys go home – I know I am." I rolled my shoulders and prepared for Sue's mothering. She didn't so it often but these bastards probably told her that I was missing and she was most likely freaking out.

"Yeah, we gotta tell Mom you're okay." Seth muttered, already breaking into a jog as he headed into the cover of the woods. He confirmed my suspicions and I sighed, already dreading having to go back into the real world. The rest of the pack was following Seth into the forest and I guessed they had all phased their way here.

"Jake." I said, grabbing his hand.

"Hm?"

"Can you go with me? I'm not exactly sure but I figure with you around, I won't turn back into the emotional wreck that I was before. The imprint thingy seems to have calmed me down."

"Sure." Jacob said with understanding in his eyes. We had both been in bad places right before we imprinted and I guess neither of us were willing to risk going back into that unhealthy place yet.

We both began to head for the cover of the forest and I shook my head at the action. For humans, it was common sense to head for a car or to the road, but for animals (or humans who turned into wolves) it was instinctual to head for cover. Only a few days as a werewolf and already the change was evident in the way I did things.

Jacob, deeming it far enough away, began to remove his shorts – which was why I punched his arm, hard.

"First of all, don't get naked in front of me. I don't like teases. Second, how the hell am I supposed to change back?" I said, making him blush. God, that would never get old.

"W-why don't you think of something that makes you mad? Jacob suggested, failing to control his blush. I smiled, loving how shy the kid was before registering what he said.

"I can't just get mad like that." I argued, losing my smile.

"You don't even have to get that mad. Usually when we first phase, anything could set us off." Jake explained, pulling up his shorts so that they clung to his hips. It was a distant observation because I remembered that all my Dad had told me to do was to calm down and that had been enough to send me over the edge. I mean how could I have phased_ just_ because of that – oh. My whole body began to shake and it felt like I was about to burst out of my skin and so I quickly managed to take off Jacob's shirt and phase.

_Fuck that shit makes me itchy_, I thought, resisting the urge to scratch behind my ear with my hind leg.

_And the lady wolf joins us_, Paul announced for no reason. It was annoying. And I was supposed to share my thoughts with this fucking idiot? Granted, I thought they were all idiots, so it just annoyed me further that I could feel the amusement from the rest of the pack, and it just furthered my theory that no boy ever actually matured and it was a facade to get unsuspecting lady folk to fuck them. Guys did only think about their dicks half the time, right?

_No we don't!_ Seth yelled, taking offense to my thoughts.

_Find then, people who aren't related to me, _I paused, remembering Jacob and his Bella nonsense and amended my statement,_ and people who are in love I guess._

_Holy crap you guys really did imprint!_ Embry yelled. I got flashes of me insulting everything that moved and a replay of what I had just thought but hearing it from someone else's perspective, it sounded so much more mellow and softer than all the other things I had ever thought while with the pack.

Jacob chose that moment to join us, just when Embry thought back to when he walked in on us a few minutes ago. Looking through his eyes, it looked like it was some intimate moment or something especially because of the way I was on top of him and with our clothes and hair all disheveled. I could see how he got that impression.

_It wasn't like that!_ Jacob yelled at us, obviously embarrassed. _And don't agree with him, Leah! _It made me grin. He was such a virgin.

_And you're not?_ Paul asked, knowing I wasn't. It made me remember Joseph, "my boyfriend." I was gonna have to break up with him.

_You had a boyfriend?_ Sam suddenly asked, making me blink as I followed Jake through the forest. Apparently, he had gathered his shirt and tied it around his ankle. So I was supposed to do that every time I phased? Such a hassle.

_Sure, if you wanna call it that._ It was weird as hell. I wasn't feeling any of the normal betrayal when I talked to him and it made me much more calmer. Damn, is this what imprinting did to you?

_So what, fuck buddy?_ Paul asked, unabashed. I didn't see why he should be. I mean, sure I guess I _should _be embarrassed or something but I wasn't so I didn't see what the big deal was.

_Yeah pretty much. _I agreed. I obviously wasn't going to need him anymore seeing as I was turning into a giant wolf and probably wouldn't be able to return to school. Although it wasn't the main reason (originally) it was certainly up there.

Fuck so much to do, so little time. I was gonna have to call the school and tell them I wasn't going to be able to make it back. There went _that_ opportunity. I had a full scholarship too. But it looked like I was going to have to take a job on the rez. With my Dad gone and his retirement money no longer part of the income, not to mention the cost of the funeral and all the hospital bills, my mom was going to have trouble paying those back along with the utility bills, and the house payments. Not to mention, it was going to be hard to feed two growing wolves. Thinking of food - I was already hungry as hell and I had eaten a few hours ago.

_You think too much_, Paul mentioned before phasing, having gotten dizzy from how my thoughts went from one thing to another. He didn't have a short attention span so my thoughts must have been a bit overwhelming.

_Maybe you should take it slow_, Jacob suggested, worried that I'd pass out from the stress of my thoughts. Embry, Jared, and Sam were similarly thrown off by my thoughts and Embry was glad that he ariived home.

Sam was joining Jared for the last leg of his patrol and neither had the pleasure of escaping my thoughts.

_Pansies the lot of you. That's why men are idiots. They only see what's in front of them while women see the whole picture. _

Finally reaching my place, I waited for Jacob to phase and used his mind set to make it easier for me. All I had to do was replace his male body with my own and once I was human again, I shivered, feeling repressed and wrong in my own body for a few seconds before I adjusted and stood up.

Jacob considerately looked away as he threw his shirt at me and I shoved it on.

"You ready?" Jake asked, turning toward me.

"Not at all." I said sighing. To prepare myself, I rolled my neck and tried to loosen up my hands, as if I was about to do some heavy lifting and I'm quite positive I looked stupid doing it, but it made feel like I was prepared to face the world.

"I need a theme song. Facing my mom would be so much easier if I had some cool theme music in the background." I announced, pacing behind the tree that meant the ending of the forest and the beginning of my backyard. I was nervous as hell and I had every fucking right to be. It was the first time I was going to see my mother since before I caused my father's heart attack.

"You'll be fine." Jacob said, with a bravado I envied.

"Right." I agreed sarcastically.

"I'll be there right along with you." Jake promised, grabbing my hand. It wasn't in a romantic way, which was why I didn't pull away, and he squeezed lightly in reassurance.

"Okay." I whispered, feeling the last of my nervousness disappear.

It was going to be hard but just the fact that Jacob was going to be there made it seem like it was going to be a piece of cake. Ugh, I made myself hungrier.

Stupid werewolf-ism.

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews.**


	4. Chapter 4

I wanted to say that time flies by quickly but then I would be lying.

Everything was agonizingly slow and yet when I finally looked at a calender, it was suddenly June.

The only reason I bothered with checking my calender was because I overheard a bunch of the Forks kiddies talking about graduation and it was annoying hearing the same thing from twenty different people.

Especially when there were a bunch of prepubescent boys that regularly visited because they thought the tall Indian chick was hot.

Bastards.

"Someone looks like they're having fun at their job." Immediately, the voice, as if having this magic over me(which I guess it did), calmed me down and I lost my annoyance.

"It gets old fast." I retorted, throwing an exasperated look toward the boys that were pretending to be undecided over a bag chips as they discussed who would get the privilege of asking me out to Prom.

"You mean they're _still_ coming?" Jacob said, more amused than anything. I shot a glare at him before sighing, and deeming it not worthy of getting worked up over. I was just glad he was here.

Something about having your imprint near really calmed the soul.

"So how was school?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Boring. Long. The usual." Ah, something happened. He hadn't actually given anything away but he was staring straight at me, as if willing me with the intensity of his stare to believe him, which was why I didn't – believe him that is.

Before I could interrogate him, the Forks High School boys began their way to the counter, ready to buy their whole two bags of chips for five growing boys, making me roll my eyes at their idiocy. At least _try_ to be subtle.

Jacob discreetly stepped away, suddenly intent on a rack full of gum, completely unnecessary when the boys where focused on me and wouldn't notice a 6'5 teenager that looked like he was on steroids.

I repeat: Bastards.

"Everything all right?" I asked, putting my voice up a few octaves. Seriously, it was my only form of entertainment. Giving these kids hope so I could crush it later was my only incentive for not punching their lights out the first time I heard them talking about me.

"Uh, yeah." The one who was paying replied, swallowing nervously. I couldn't help but grin by how nervous they were. Time to step it up a notch.

"So why don't I see any of you with any girlfriends?" I purred, handing the change over and handing him the bag. The counter empty, I set my elbow on it and leaned, making sure they could only see the tiniest bit of cleavage. I gave my winning smile and waited for them to regain their composure. Yep, I still got it. It was disappointing though because I knew that Jacob would have merely raised an eyebrow and played with my hair. He was becoming far too accustomed to my teasing and it bothered me a bit.

So I ignored Jacob's snickers.

"What are you doing?" Somebody growled from the door. It was low and the boys hadn't heard it but my werewolf senses did.

"Le_ah_!" Seth complained as he approached the counter, loud enough to get the Fork's kiddies attention. I hadn't heard him outside and I blamed Jacob for my inattention. It was hard to pay attention to other things when he was with me.

"What!" I yelled, annoyed that he interrupted my bout of fun.

"How can you do that?" Seth said, disappointment evident in his voice. "And _you_!" Seth rounded on Jacob, the Forks boys fidgeted as they were ignored – and also, probably intimidated by my baby brother's stature. "She's your – girlfriend. You're not supposed just stand there and snicker!"

"You have a boyfriend?" One of them cried out. I rolled my eyes and glared at Seth. There went my hope of crushing their hearts – or rather, their fantasies to do it with a hot Indian chick during Prom.

"Sure if that's what you wanna call it." I answered with a shrug. Jacob took that as his cue to go behind the counter and stand beside me. I couldn't help but meet his eyes and give him a knowing smile.

We had come up with a theory – one that we spent a whole month trying to explain – that maybe we imprinted for a different reason. That we had imprinted because we needed someone in our lives to mend our broken selves. Sure, it didn't explain a lot of things like why sometimes I had this uncontrollable urge to kiss him but I didn't want our relationship to get even more complicated than it already was. In the two months since, the lines had slowly been blurring and boundaries were pierced through and instead of talking about it we just kind of went with the flow.

Like now.

"But Leah looked like she was having fun." Jacob argued, winking at me.

"Ugh – I'll never understand you two." Seth muttered, grabbing a bunch of snacks and I moved as he sat them on the counter.

"Are you going to actually pay for these this time?" I asked, knowing that he didn't have any money.

Seth merely gave me his best puppy dog face and I rolled my eyes at his predictability.

"You're lucky you're my little brother." I mumbled, running them though the scan so the alarm wouldn't ring. The cash register opened but I merely closed it and threw the bags at his face. "You know the rule."

"Don't tell the gang that you pay for my food." Seth recited. I rolled my eyes at the gleeful expression he made as he opened the bag and I wondered if I should give the kid more money for school. There was no way he could eat enough food for him to be satisfied with seven measly dollars.

"Hurry up Seth, its your shift up next." Jacob said, inclining his head toward the clock. Seth nodded before waving and exiting.

I was going to start grilling Jacob about whatever the hell had happened when I remembered the Forks boys were still there. Which annoyed me.

"Are you boys going to buy anything else?" I asked none too politely. They looked uncomfortable and kept shooting looks between me and Jacob so I glared, no longer able to tolerate Forks teenagers. After a moment of deliberation they made the smart choice of hustling out of there.

"What happened?" I said, turning on Jacob. I was glad to see that he didn't bother with trying to pretend like he didn't know what I was talking about. But instead of spilling like I was expecting him to, he began to dig in right picket. After a moment, a crumpled paper emerged from his hand and he gave it to me with a rather serious expression.

I raised an eyebrow but wordlessly spread the crumpled paper on the counter and uncreased it to make it easier to read.

I didn't even get five words in before I scoffed and flung the paper back at Jacob.

"The bitch is trying to apologize through a letter?" I asked, slightly disgusted by the girl's cowardice. She had the balls to love the very thing that was created to kill her but she couldn't even fucking apologize properly? I was really disliking the girl more and more.

"Be nice." Jacob chided. It wasn't obvious but I knew that he was disgruntled by my reaction. I suddenly felt and decided that talking shit about Bella probably wasn't going to make Jake feel any better. So I sighed, letting out my annoyance, and focused my attention on Jacob.

"Look. Does this make you feel any better?" I asked, curious. Jacob remained silent, staring unseeingly to the side, like he trying to muster up what he was feeling and put it into words but unable to. I waited, knowing that this was hard for him, like it had once been for me when I tried to understand how I felt for Sam when I was returning home.

"I don't know." Jacob finally said after a moment. There was some real emotion in his tone and it made me feel better. The idea that he was my soul mate still bothered me, especially because of the fact that, as time passed, the idea seemed less and less unsettling. So knowing that our old feelings didn't go away, just like that, was a huge relief.

"Then don't stress about it. Forcing the words out ain't going to be much help so stepping away from it will do you some good. The words will come to you – _if_ you really want to sink to her level." I added, unable to resist.

"Shut up." Jacob grumbled. I grinned, glad that I was good cheering him up. It meant that he wasn't a stranger to me anymore and I knew him almost as well as I knew myself. Spending a lot of time actually inside his head also helped a bit.

Jacob wrapped an arm around me, putting his forehead against mine, no longer such a hard feat as I had grown several inches in my two months as a wolf. I was going to hit six feet soon, at the rate I was growing and I might have felt freakishly tall if the rest of the pack wasn't taller than me which I didn't let linger on the fact that it was going to be _impossible_ to find a guy that was taller than me – if I ever got around to dating again.

"Thanks." He professed. I could literally hear the gratitude in it and my grin softened. I knew how the whole Bella situations really bothered him so I kinda knew how he really needed a hug at the moment.

"Anytime."

Sad thing was, that if he needed me, I probably would drop everything – just for him.

* * *

"I'm up. Now why the _hell_ would you risk your life by waking me up?" I grumbled. My threat probably wasn't much considering it was halfhearted and my head was between two pillows, muffling my words beyond comprehension.

"Oh. Sorry Leah. Didn't mean to wake you up." Jacob apologized distractedly. Ugh, he had to get all apologetic. Now I didn't feel like hurting him. But the damage was done and I was awake, far earlier than I should have been on a Saturday, especially when I had been patrolling from midnight to whenever the sun had risen.

"Why are _you_ awake?" I mumbled, removing a pillow. I turned so I was facing him and I realized that he was sitting on his desk hunched over a piece of paper, his brows furrowed in concentration. It was a funny sight considering they bought that desk for him when he was twelve and now dwarfed the thing.

"I thought of what to say." Jacob murmured, jotting something down. I blinked a few times before realizing he was talking about The Note. I don't know why but my heart stopped for a moment in some odd sense of trepidation.

"What did ya put?" I asked, my voice quivering slightly. I attributed it to sleep.

"That I miss her too. But it doesn't change anything." He answered, straightening up. Instantly, I felt better. I was confused at why I felt bad in the first place. I shook my head and got up, curious to see what he wrote for myself. I leaned over his shoulder... and smacked his head.

"Ow! What the heck was that for?" Jake cried indignantly.

"What did I tell you about stressing over your reply?" I chided as I looked at all the crossed out sentences.

"What did _I_ tell you about putting on my clothes to bed?" Jacob retorted, eying his shirt – that I was wearing. I rolled my eyes at the change of subject but didn't pursue it further, knowing that the kid was going to clam up anyway. So I stepped away and laid back onto the bed, still sleepy even though I knew I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep.

Yes, I slept in the same bed as Jacob. It was a habit. Because most of the boys had school, I didn't want them to fail because of patrolling so I volunteered to take the graveyard shift with Paul. It could be worse. It could be the graveyard shift with _Sam_ and no matter how much easier it was with Jacob around, it was still pretty awkward and I didn't want to have to go through _that_ every night.

So Sam and Jared took over six in the morning (it used to be just Sam but school just recently let out for the Quileute kids and Jared managed to graduate this year) and since Jacob's house tended to be closer, and I was tired as hell – not to mention the pull of the imprint – I just got into the habit of crashing at his place. And wearing his shirts for pajamas.

"What time is it?" I asked, not caring that his shirt had ridden up, exposing my stomach and the blue underwear I was wearing. Modesty was something you lose when the littlest things angered you enough to rip your clothes to shreds and are left to phase back in your birthday suit... in front of a pack full of horny guys – and my little brother.

"Like twelve or something." Jacob said, rubbing the tiny bit of stubble on his chin. I scrunched my nose at it, not at all liking the idea that Jacob could grow a beard.

"At least I got _some_ sleep." I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.

"I'm gonna go give my Dad the note." Jake said, standing up.

"Please don't." I said immediately.

"What?" Jake said, startled.

"Its pathetic enough that you guys are exchanging notes like in grade school," I said, repeating one of his crossed out lines, "but I will not let you sink to her level. Give me the note. Might as well see what the big deal is about Isabella Swan."

"You wanna-"

"Meet Bella." I affirmed. Jacob looked like he was about bolt so I tackled him, snatching the paper from his hand. "I promise not to hurt her." I said with a roll of my eyes.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Jake said, struggling.

"And I won't tell her about the imprint." I mumbled, trying really hard not to take it personally. I knew it had nothing to do with being ashamed of me – though I wouldn't blame him, after all, the Rez saw me as the pathetic ex-girlfriend still being strung along by Sam – and everything to do with his unresolved feelings with Bella. Plus, the imprint made it really hard to stay mad at him.

"...Okay."

And that was that. I was going to Bella's.

* * *

**Short but it did it's job.**


	5. Chapter 5

**When the Pack gets together, they just go from one subject to another. This chapter got away from me – it's all Paul and Leah's fault!**

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* * *

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The look on the girl's face was priceless.

"Leah Clearwater. I'm doing a favor for Jacob." I explained as I took in all of Bella's features. I guess she was pretty in a damsel-in-distress kind of way. She had this sort of helpless klutz look to her that made you want to baby her or something. At least, that was my impression.

"Jacob?"

"Yeah. And my mom wanted to send some food Charlie's way. She knows how much he sucks at cooking." I said with a shrug. The girl stared at me for a moment – which was rude – and I got annoyed. Either she took the damn bags or she wanted me to take them in myself. It made me wonder if the vamp was around.

"You came on Jacob's bike?" Bella asked. I raised an eyebrow at the question, and looked back at the aforementioned bike. Why the hell did it matter?

"Whose at the door?" Charlie hollered from the living room.

"Delivery from Sue Clearwater!" I yelled back, deciding to invite myself in. I squeezed passed the girl who looked stricken for some reason. I could care less so I continued to greet Charlie, trying really, really hard not to let the Vampire stink get to me. It was overwhelming and last I heard, the mind-reader was on scheduled visits. I'd hate to think of what the place would smell like if the Vampire was _always_ at their place – well, even more than he already was.

"Hey Leah. Haven't seen much of you around when I go to Sue's." Charlie mentioned as he dug through the bag my mother packed him.

"Got a job. Not to mention that the boys are a handful and need some proper supervision. Can't let them run around and do what they want after all." I said as I looked around the living room. Nothing's changed since the last time I came a few years back. Charlie's scent was pretty much engraved into all the furniture and Bella's scent was faint in the living room and seemed to grow stronger toward the stairs. I felt pretty proud of myself over the fact that I could distinguish all that despite the overwhelming bleach burn my nose was going through.

"Shame you left University." Charlie said.

"Well I can't just go back. Gotta take care of the family. The bills don't just pay themselves after all." I said with a smile. Charlie had always had this laid back attitude which was why I got along with him. Even the news that I had dropped out of school didn't really phase him. I wonder how he would react to news of our furry little problem?

"Sue's lucky to have you."

"I tell her that all the time." I joked. "Anyway, I'll see you later. My shift starts soon." I lied. I didn't have anything to do but I only came to see what the big deal about Bella was, not to make small talk with the parental, and being disappointed wasn't helping out my patience any.

Bella was returning to the living room so I grabbed her arm and shoved the note in her hand, not caring whether Charlie saw or no,t and let myself out, not caring how Bella might of felt about being manhandled.

Geez, the whole thing was such a let down.

* * *

"You weren't mean right?" Jacob asked for the millionth time.

"No." I replied again. We were in the garage, just lazing around. Jake was working on his precious little car while I watched from the table where I moved all the stuff on it to the ground, and laid down, my head dangling as I watched him from an upside-down angle. All the blood was rushing to my head, but the boredom was killing me, and it was the only thing I could think of to entertain myself.

"You sure?"

"_Yes_, damn it." I seethed, turning to growl at him properly. The show fell short when my head rolled a bit from the dizziness the movement caused.

"I ask again because _your_ mean isn't the same as everybody else's," Jacob said wryly.

"Charlie was there, so it was at a minimum." I mumbled.

"Thought so." Jake said smugly. I rolled my eyes and rolled off the table and deftly landed on my feet, my hands extended as if to meet the ground, but my feet seemed to manage, and my hands were left to dangle leaving me in some half-assed crouching position. Again, I was reminded by my inner Werewolf. The way I landed _should_ have sent me to my knees, but even with the majority of my weight teetering over, I remained fine, not at all bothered by the position. It was like a parody of Micheal Jackson's Thriller video except I was a real life Werewolf.

"You okay there?" Jacob asked worriedly. I blinked and straightened up, wondering what other things I could do with my sudden impeccable balance and dexterity.

"Did you know that I've always wanted to take karate or something?" I told Jacob.

"You know we can't get into anything that might give away that we're anything less than human." Jake reminded me with that annoyingly sad voice. Annoying because it made _me_ feel horrible. I felt like I was failing as an imprint or something because I couldn't keep him happy. But I couldn't do anything about it because the sadness came from something we all felt from time to time – except for stupid Quil–the loss of certain human qualities. It was an all too harsh reminder that as much as we claimed to be, we weren't as human as we'd like. The curse of duty and protecting our people. We'd all resigned ourselves to our fate, but we do occasionally cry over spilled milk.

"Yeah I know, but I was thinking more along the lines of cheap dvds." I said, hoping to distract the kid.

"I don't think that's the same thing, Lays." Jacob said, giving me an exasperated look. I shrugged and was glad that it had been enough to at least steer him away from the subject.

"And now I'm hungry." I stated. Jacob sighed, but didn't acknowledge my statement, and continued to tinker with the engine of the Rabbit. I didn't like being ignored so I growled in annoyance. The next second I was behind him, grabbing him in a choke-hold and dragging him out of the garage toward the house. He struggled but with my Werewolf strength I managed to get him inside the house.

Next: Get him to put on a shirt and go get food. Ugh, I could already feel the battle in my bones. It was nearly impossible to get the pack to put on some clothes. I got that it really was a hassle to rip them (and we weren't made of money) but I think after a few months of phasing, most of us were pretty good at keeping our anger on check. Hell, even I could do it and I was the newest recruit!

"Jacob. Leah."

We both immediately froze at the voice. It was Billy and he was rolling into the living room from the kitchen but I had already known he was near. Billy was ecstatic over the fact that we had imprinted on each other and pretty much didn't care whether I was constantly holed up Jacob's room. Even though I've told him repeatedly (nearly everyday, really) that Jacob and I weren't in a romantic relationship, Billy remained stubborn over the fact that we would give in eventually and that he was expecting some grandchildren real soon. (Insert awkwardness and embarrassment here.)

We feared that he would be right.

But at the moment, it wasn't the normal carefree Billy. It was the chief of our tribe with an almost stoic face, his tone betraying him and showing some forlorn emotion. I instantly knew that nothing good had happened.

"I was talking to Charlie. He said that Edward and Bella were heading to her mother's." Billy began, confusing me. "He said that they were going to be gone for three days-"

"No!" Jacob yelled, his voice breaking tragically. I was confused. I couldn't understand what the big deal was. So Bella-bitch was gonna introduce the love-of-her-life to her mother? What did it matter to us? Maybe I missed something?

"Wait, Jacob! I don't understand-" I grabbed his shoulders in an effort to keep him from phasing. He was vibrating violently and Jacob was a very big wolf and phasing in the house would result in some serious damage. Not to mention that he might hurt Billy.

"No!" Jacob yelled again. "Three days is how long it takes to turn into a Vampire!" Jacob explained, pushing me away and running out the door, just barely reaching outside in time to phase.

"Jake!" I called, not wanting to leave him alone in this state. I ran after him and phased, shredding my last jeans, _Got to remember to go shopping later_, and then being hit with Jacob's thoughts running a mile a minute with Paul and Seth freaking out over Jacob's rampant thoughts.

_Bella might be getting turned into a Vamp right now,_ I explained, refraining from adding any names and expletives. Jacob didn't need to hear that from me now.

Paul cursed while Seth whined. They were both well aware of the consequences. The Treaty was broken and we'd have to kill the Cullens. What worried me though was that I knew that it would not be an easy fight and someone wouldn't make it. The thought nearly made me stop in my tracks. The Cullens had weird Vampire-y powers and the idea of killing them was less than becoming at the moment. Especially if it meant someone wouldn't make it. Jacob and Seth came to mind.

_Jacob – maybe she isn't being turned!_ It was just as I managed to catch up and I tackled him to stop him and listen to me. He spluttered but I paid no heed to his whining and nipped his shoulder. He yelped and it seemed enough to get him to pay attention to me.

_Stop jumping to conclusions dumbass. You're Bella's best friend aren't you? Give the girl the benefit of the doubt and wait until she comes back and _then_ you're allowed to freak out. But until we know _for sure_ that the girl is being changed into a stupid fucking Vamp then we don't do anything. Got it?_

I didn't need to be in Jacob's head to know how he struggled with my logic. It worked both ways after all. As her best friend, Jake was all too aware of how impulsive the girl was (e.g. the motorcycles and, you know, jumping off a cliff) and Jacob didn't find it hard to believe Bella willingly being turned into a Vamp by the mind-reader she called a boyfriend.

_..._Fine_. I-I- we'll wait to see what happens._

_Good idea_, I agreed. It was intended to be said sarcastically but it came out more tenderly than anything. God, having imprinted was really turning me into a softy. The thought didn't bug me as much as it would have two months ago – especially when I could see how much Jacob needed me. I'd hate to leave him alone to wallow in his misery. Not that I was much better (I was still the bitter ex-girlfriend after all), but misery loves company.

_Thanks Leah_. Jacob mumbled. I could feel the gratitude and somehow the world was right again.

_Anytime._

Ah, the wonders of imprinting.

* * *

I was juggling my worry for Jacob – whether the idiot had eaten, if he'd taken a shower, if he'd lost it yet and gone straight to the Cullens – and my worry for the pack in case the treaty _had _been broken and we were going to have go into battle.

We were doing patrols in threes and I was with Quil and Embry. I had taken to patrolling a lot more, unable to loiter around with Jacob without losing my mind. I was too hyped to sit still anyway. They were struggling to ignore me and I didn't make it any easier by the constant switch in my thoughts. Jacob hadn't really left his house except for patrol and had taken to calling Charlie at three hour intervals. He kept checking to see if Bella had called him to see if anything seemed different-

_What the fuck – a Vamp!_ I yelled to the two, stopping in my tracks. The scent was fresh, making my hackles rise. I shook my fur in preparation as I waited for Quil and Embry to reach me. My nose twitched at the sickly sweet-bleached smell that entered my nose. It was the same scent as the one that had been passing through here regularly.

_Quil, got get the rest of the pack,_ I ordered as Embry reached me. Quil quickly changed directions and Embry and I nodded to each other and started following the scent. The thrill of the hunt was pumping me with adrenaline and what started off as an almost sneaky pace was turning into race of who could reach the bloodsucker first.

I was gaining the lead and getting closer and closer to the abomination. The problem was that it was pretty close to the border and hopefully it wasn't paying attention to it's surroundings. We could probably get it before-

_STOP!_

Shit. Alpha command. It was my first time being ordered by it and my body just froze. But it didn't stop the momentum I had that sent tumbling forward and crashing into a tree. The tree, as big as it was splintered and groaned against my force before descending the ground in the loudest way possible. Embry, who was also forced into the Alpha command, headed straight into me, sending us sprawling on the ground.

_So much for stealth._ I muttered dizzily. The thing was a dozy, not to mention that I've never heard Sam use his Alpha-ness to severely before.

_Leah, are you okay!_ Jacob yelled, panicked. I ignored him for the moment.

_What the hell was that for you dumb fuck! _I cursed, trying to shake off the affects. Embry was having similar problems.

_There's only two of you. You shouldn't go after such an obviously skilled Vampire with so few numbers._ Sam explained, running toward where he heard our crash. He said it with fake calm, one I was far too familiar with, there was something else, _You're lying, you son of a-_

The Vampire Embry and I were trying to get the jump on was heading toward us and I forced my body to move telling it that the command 'stop' had been to stop chasing after the thing which didn't apply when It was headed for us. I made sure to let my thoughts shove into Embry and it worked and we both managed to compose ourselves when the Vampire showed up.

It was a girl with fire red hair to match the almost demonic red eyes most human bloodsucking Vamps tended to have. Without having to consult each other, Embry and I leaped toward it, using it's surprise as a distraction. The thing managed to evade us both however, and the chase began.

She headed for the border which made me curse repeatedly and the rest of the pack struggled to catch up. I was the fastest (a fact the made me feel smug every time) so I was able to catch up to the Vamp. I made a bite for it but again, the thing evaded me gracefully and at the last second.

_That was too good. Shit, what if it has one of those superpowers like Ed-lame._

_That would make this ten-times harder_, Sam said in agreement. They were catching up and just as I was going to take another snap at her, she crossed the border and I slid to a stop before I crossed it. The Red head turned to look back at me in curiosity and I growled at it. Embry remaining hidden, in case the thing came at me thinking it had a shot. Instead it smiled at smugly and continued into Cullen territory.

_Stupid mother fucking piece of shit _Whore_ – I swear to god, I'm going to _kill you. I growled and barked seeing red. I sunk my paws into the dirt before losing my temper and clawing the nearest tree and feeling no satisfaction as it fell swiftly and broke into two pieces on the forest floor.

_Calm down, Leah_. Jacob pleaded before Sam could Alpha command my ass. Everybody else was spreading out against the border in case the Red head crossed somewhere else. They also, understandably, didn't want to feel my wrath. But unfortunately, my anger was pointless so I tried calming down, or at least channeling my anger into revenge. Sweet, sweet REVENGE.

_My bad. The stupid bitch got to me. Just... ugh. Give me a moment yeah? _I muttered to Jake as he grew near. I counted to ten and let out a huge breath (repeat) before feeling some of my anger ebb away. _Kay, I won't attack anybody now._ I said, addressing everyone else.

_Are you okay?_ Jacob asked as he stood in front of me. He was looking me over in case I had any injuries – which I didn't – and seemed a bit miffed.

_What?_ I muttered, turning away from him to pace my self against the border. Just because I got my rage in check, didn't mean I wasn't angry about the Red head's smugness. Seriously, it was lucky it crossed the border when it did because I was going to chew it up into little pieces.

_I'm never letting you patrol without me again. _Jake said to me in a relieved tone. I didn't get it but I was more concerned with listening for any movement out in the forest in the other side. Jacob was sticking with me and was less than a foot away but even after a few scathing looks, the kid refused to give me personal space so I finally just left it alone.

_Anybody hear anything?_ I asked, hoping for something.

_I think I got something_. Paul answered, concentrating on the distant movement. It sounded like a herd of animals but they were far too swift and agile (at least that's what I gathered from what he was hearing) to be any ordinary animal.

The Pack simultaneously tensed and we all quieted to strain our hearing.

My left ear twitched when I heard the pitter-patter of feet and quickly noted that there were actually less of them for it to actually be herd... and I just jumped to conclusions.

_It's the Cullens_. I stated, baring my teeth in agitation. They probably ran into the Red Head in their territory and were gonna take her down before we could. They've had years of practice after all._ There goes my chance to maim the bitch_. I mumbled.

Seth suddenly yelped and when the sounds of running starting getting louder and louder and towards his direction.

_Embry, Jared get to Seth. Everybody else, remain where you are in case they change directions._ Sam ordered. It had a slight alpha command in it so no matter how much my older sister instincts were screaming at me to go protect Seth, I remained where I was, holding my breath as the sound of feet running grew louder and clearer.

_I think they just doubled back._ Embry muttered. There did seem to be a chase so it was safe to assume that my earlier assumption was right and the Cullens managed to find the bitch. From the sounds of it, the Red Head was running back along the border, a lot closer to Jake and I.

_Get ready. I think she's going to cross the border again._ Jacob said to me as he stood to my right. _Go back a bit. I don't want them to know how many of us there actually are_.

_That's not the only reason you want me to fall back_. I mumbled as I listened and walked a few feet behind a particularly large trunk. I knew Jacob was worrying about my safety and didn't want me in the way if a bloodsucker showed up. This whole imprint thing really put a damper on one's own safety when their other half was also in danger. Since our imprint worked both ways, I'm sure nothing good would come out of both of us trying to keep each other safe. I would play the damsel in distress for now, but all bets were off if the Red Head was in my radar.

_I figured you didn't want the Pack to here us get mushy,_ Jake joked. There was a murmur of agreement and I felt the uncomfortableness from them from just the idea of me being able to become mushy.

Obviously, Sam hadn't thought of our time together since he imprinted on Emily.

_And that's how you know that most have you have never had girlfriends... idiots._

Indignant calls in defense of their love lives were yelled at me at once and I smirked in triumph. The way the younger ones got flustered always made me laugh. Paul on the other hand couldn't help but think of his last girlfriend before he broke up with her because of the whole Werewolf thing. The images included the girl on her chest, her ass in the air, with a face of pure ecstasy – clearly an orgasm.

_Well, well... looks like Paul's great in the sack,_ I idly mentioned as the image passed and the others were all simultaneously disgusted. _And she was hot, nice._

_You think way too much like a guy,_ Paul stated, wanting to give me a high-five.

_You don't know the half of it,_ Jacob muttered, shaking his head. The Pack had a habit of going onto twenty different subjects when we were idle. At the moment it was probably just out of nervousness. We were right at the edge of the border, which made things complicated-but also because, with so many minds linked so closely together, things were bound to come out.

Which was why I could feel Sam's agreement.

_Shut up. _It wasn't my fault that the boy had been too scared to even say the word sex, much less do the deed. I almost wanted to think back to the all the times I initiated all the kisses and intimate touches – shit, even the sex itself, and all the times that Sam didn't have the balls to make a move. _Please don't tell me that you haven't had sex with Emily._

Sam didn't particularly think the answer, but just from how awkward he suddenly felt it was safe to say he probably did but didn't want to verbalize it when his ex-love-his-life was the one asking the question.

Before things got out of hand, the chase grew near and suddenly the Red Head was back and running along the creek.

_Paul—she's headed for you_, Jacob said. We slipped further behind the trees and began to trail after the chase, remaining hidden. It was a lot easier for me than it was for Jacob, he being the second biggest wolf out of the pack, and I being the smallest wolf out of the all of them—yes, even Seth—it was easier for me to catch up to them.

_So close!_ I commented as I saw the male blond with all the scars make a dive for the Red Head and miss by a hair. Seriously, they were all near misses and the way she dodge everything at the last minute was making me think that the bloodsucker had a superpower of sorts.

_Let's attack her as if she does. Make sure to keep an eye out for anything else._ Sam murmured from the behind. He was still a ways back but with his long ass legs, he was bound to catch up with us soon. The same was said for the rest of the pack. I was just glad that Seth was mostly out of the way. It was bad enough that I was worrying over Jacob, I didn't need Seth to distract me as well.

_Hey! I can _totally_ hold my own!_ Seth yelled at my thoughts.

_That's not the point._ I deadpanned. Seriously, it was my job to worry about my baby brother, let me do it in peace.

_Will you guys shut up, I think the bloodsucker's going actually cross the border to get away from-SHIT!_Paul jumped after the, but one of the Cullens was also airborne after it, and they collided right on top of the border. A huge clam of noise accompanied the collision and I couldn't help but flinch in smypathy. Poor Paul was going to be smelling that for hours.

Wait-Fuck. Did that mean that the treaty was just broken?

* * *

**I'm sure most of you noticed the _huge_ change in cannon. This more or less lays the foundations of Leah's and Bella's relationship.**

**Let me know what you guys think.**


	6. Chapter 6

**In case anybody forgot, I'm following the book not the movie. You'll have to forgive the dialogue. I saw no reason to rewrite everything completely, just add in Leah's voice. You'll see what I mean.**

**And, seriously? The longer the chapter, the less reviews I get? Looks like the Twilight fandom's gotten weird on me. Oh well, it looks like I'll get even less reviews for this one too then.**

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* * *

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"You're too pretty." I mentioned to Jacob.

After the incident at the border on Saturday, we finally managed to reach Bella as she got home from her little vacation. We were waiting at Forks High School parking lot, and Jacob would have preferred to confront Bella and Ed-lame alone, but I wasn't all too comfortable with the idea.

For once, Sam had agreed.

"Thanks," Jacob said with a raised eyebrow.

"Look at all those high school girls orgasming at just the sight of you," I said with a sweep of my hand. I was right of course, and Jake's eyebrows furrowed in what I had to say was annoyance.

"The same could be said for you."

"Now you know how I feel when I wear actual clothes and you refuse to put any on," I said with a shrug. Seriously, I was twenty—I'd be worried if I _couldn't_ turn on simple high school boys. I was wearing ripped up jeans (read: short-shorts) and a white wife-beater that was a little too small around the chest area. My body was freaking out on me.

"Duly noted." Jacob growled. The people who were eavesdropping all slightly jumped at it, and I couldn't help, but laugh at their reactions. Being scared of Jake was like being scared of hamsters—not even a bite from them hurt all that much.

"Shut up." Jacob muttered, moodily. His mood was seriously starting to bug me.

"Fine." I spit out. I wasn't going to take any of his crap. So I turned around, and headed toward the sidewalk, away from Jacob, but still close enough in case of an emergency. I wasn't really all that mad, but Jacob wasn't my Jacob when it came to Bella—a fact that I was quickly coming to realize.

"Wait—I'm sorry, Lee," Jake said, grabbing my wrist before I could leave. "Just... I'm really nervous about seeing Bella again."

There he went being all apologetic again. I seriously couldn't stay mad at him when he did that "I'm a mess" look. So I sighed, and turned around to face him.

"It's fine. You didn't want me here in the first place so I'm just gonna give you your space, and just... kinda be your back-up, kay?"

"No," Jake said, pulling me even closer. "If I've realized anything out of these past two months is that I need you with whether I notice it or not. If you're not beside me, it feels like a part of me is missing, so please don't walk away from me now."

..I wasn't quite sure how to answer that. He didn't say anything we both hadn't already realized, but we had never said how much we actually needed each other out loud, and to do it right before he saw his first love had me both a bit giddy, and slightly embarrassed for some reason.

So I punched his shoulder.

"Don't get all mushy on me Jacob. I'm fine as long as you're sure of what you're doing." I winked and bumped his chin. "Keep your chin , and look intimidating, they should be coming pretty soon."

I extracted myself from the bubble we created—and away from his body—and leaned against the bike like Jacob was doing. It was just in time too 'cause it looked like there was a fairly expensive car—out of the norm for the Fork's population—parking a little ways off. A quick peek at Jacob, and I saw him lean a bit more on the bike with an unnaturally calm expression. One I knew he got from Sam, but wasn't quite able to pull off.

Before I could reprimand him for it—he knew I hated anything Sam related—the couple was walking toward us. I felt Jake get tenser, and it made me wonder if it was because the Vamp had a first hand account of our imprint, and was nervous about Bella finding out, which I didn't think would matter much.

I couldn't help, but give Bella and Edward a once over, my eyes lingering on their linked hands.

_Disgusting_.

The Bloodsucker stopped short a few yards, and pushed Bella behind him as if_ we_ were the dangerous ones.

I_ haven't killed anyone—what about _you_?_

I didn't miss the slight grimace the Vampire tried to hide. Looks like it _can_ read minds. So the bastard knew what I was thinking the whole time.

"You could have called us," The Vamp said in a steel-hard voice.

"Sorry," Jacob answered, his face twisting into a sneer. "I don't have any leeches on my speed dial."

"You could have reached me at Bella's house, of course."

Jacob's jaw flexed, but he didn't say anything. I was proud of the self-control he was showing, and I wasn't about to ruin it by opening my mouth. I was merely here for moral support after all.

"This is hardly the place, Jacob. Could we discuss this later?"

"Sure, sure. I'll stop by your crypt after school." We both snorted at the idea. Yeah, like that was going to happen anytime soon. "What's wrong with now?"

The leech had the audacity to pointedly look around the crowd that was forming around us. I was annoyed to notice some of my groupies were apart of that crowd.

"I already know what you came to say," the Vamp said in a low voice that normal humans wouldn't be able to hear it. We had no trouble though. "Message delivered. Consider us warned."

"Warned?" Bella asked with a voice of clear confusion. It looked like the Vamp wasn't above withholding information from his supposed love-of-his-life. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't tell her?" Jacob asked, his eyes widening with disbelief. "What, were you afraid she'd take our side?"

"Maybe that's why he took her away." I mused to Jacob turning my head to him, but not taking my eyes off of the Vamp—to hell with being a quiet moral supporter. The leech's jaw clenched, but there was no other reaction. Bella's, however, eyes widened, and her mouth opened to say something, but the Vamp cut her off.

"Please, drop it."

"Why?" "No." We both answered.

"What don't I know? Edward?" The Vamp merely glared at Jacob, and ignored Bella's question.

"Jake?"

Jacob raised an eyebrow at the girl before he answered her sarcastically. "He didn't tell you that his big..._ brother_ crossed the line on Saturday night?" His eyes flickered over to the bloodsucker. "Paul was totally justified in-"

"It was no-man's land!"

"Was not!" "Bullshit!" We both answered, Jacob beginning to shake, and I bending my knees slightly as if to attack.

"Emmett and Paul?" Bella whispered. I almost didn't hear it because almost all of my attention was on Edward. Jacob was struggling to calm down so I grabbed his arm warningly. "What happened? Were they fighting? Why? Did Paul get hurt." The girl's voice strained and squeaked enough to annoy my ears.

"Don't act like you actually give a shit about Paul. You didn't mind forgetting about him or the rest of the guys as soon as your little boyfriend came back." I spit out before the bloodsucker could explain anything.

"Leah."

"What? I just said the truth. I'm probably right about him taking her away because he didn't want her to know-"

"Leave now. Or I'll tell Bella about the imprint." The vamp said glaring at me now with some serious hate. It made me laugh.

"Whose going to make me? _You_?" I challenged with a sneer. I almost lost it when I noticed Bella looking scared at Edward's show of Vampire-ness. Maybe she'd finally notice the monster she was actually fucking.

"Leah," Jacob said to me, oddly calm. "Why haven't you told her? If you haven't noticed, _I_ haven't had a chance to tell her much of anything," he said to Edward. It seemed that Jake wasn't as self-conscious about the imprint as I thought he was. It made my job a whole lot easier.

After a moment—the girl left gaping, stricken by the news—Bella began to gasp to near hyperventilation. Ew. That can't be healthy.

"She came back for me." Bella choked out.

"Does that answer your question, mongrel?"

"If you knew that was going to happen, then why don't you carry around bags? It must be annoying to have her freak out over the stupidest things." I mentioned as I watched the girl wobble into Edward's arms as he glared at me.

"You don't think Bella has a right to know?" Jacob said after a moment. "It's her life."

"Why should she be frightened when she was never in danger?"

"Better frightened than lied to." Jacob said as I snorted. Seriously, the bloodsucker said the stupidest things.

"Do you really think hurting her is better than protecting her?"

"She's tougher than you think," Jacob said. "And she's been through worse."

I knew exactly where he was going with this. Jacob had shown me the images of Bella when Edward left her. It reminded me of of myself when Sam had left me for my cousin times ten, and Jake had wondered how Edward felt about himself about leaving her in such a condition. Apparently we were about to find out.

We weren't disappointed. The Vamp cringed as if physically hit and both Jacob and I laughed. "That's funny." Jake commented. The bloodsucker winced, and the pain in his eyes was evident.

"What are you doing to him?" Bella demanded, apparently recovered from her little episode.

"It's nothing, Bella," Edward told her quietly. "Jacob just has a good memory, that's all."

"It's not just Jacob." I mentioned with a smirk. The asshole deserved whatever we threw at him, and I had both Sam's, and Jacob's memories as well.

Edward winced again.

"Stop it you two! Whatever you're doing!"

"Sure-"

"Hell no." I cut off. Jacob gave me an exasperated look. Bella tried—and failed—to glare at me. I merely rose an eyebrow. "This is way too entertaining."

"The principal's on his way to discourage loitering on school property," The vamp murmured to the girl. "Let's get to English, Bella, so you're not involved."

"Overprotective, isn't he?" Jacob said to Bella. I tried not to get annoyed. "A little trouble makes life fun. Let me guess, you're not allowed to have fun, are you?"

"You know," I said to Jake. "That can be construed as a form of abuse," I said jokingly. The Vamp glowered, and his lips pulled back from his teeth in typical Vampire fashion. Yawn.

Jacob visibly hesitated. He looked like he was ready to say something, but then looked down at me, and his lip quirked up slightly. What the hell was that about?

"You should come to La Push sometime, and hang out with the Pack," he finally said, turning back to Bella who was looking back, and forth between the two of us.

"I, er, don't know about that, Jake," Bella said apologetically. I tried to keep my mouth shut. I knew how much that probably hurt Jacob, but it was between the two of them. If Jacob wanted to set himself up for rejection, then it wasn't my business.

"Okay, get to class," a stern voice called out. "Move along, Mr. Crowley."

"Get to school Jake," Bella whispered. I snorted. Goes to show how much she actually knew about Jacob. Quileute school had already let out for the summer. Hurt flashed across Jake's face for a moment before he composed himself.

"I mean it." Ha, I suddenly recognized the voice. "Detention for anyone who's still standing here when I turn around again."

"Ah, Mr. Cullen. Do we- Ms. Clearwater?"

"Oh, Mr. Greene, you still remember me? So sweet," I said with a smirk.

"Yes, well, you did leave with a bit of a bang," Mr. Greene said wryly. "There wouldn't happen to be another... incident?"

"No, of course not. Bella's father is just an old friend of our parents' and we were just sending her a message from the counsel." I explained, my smirk in place. Jacob merely rolled his eyes.

"I see. Well class is about to start. You'll have to have this conversation after school," Mr. Greene said. Jacob saluted before draping his leg over his bike and jump starting it. After a quick glare to the remaining two, I jumped behind him, wrapped my arms around his waist, and we sped away.

* * *

"So it's still after Bella then." Sam murmured as we—mostly Jacob—finished telling him what happened when we went to confront Bella's boyfriend. I was tapping my foot out of annoyance. The Pack had already gathered at Sam's so we were just barely out of the tree line when they pounced on us for the details. I wasn't planning on sticking for long, much go within the close vicinity of my whore of a cousin, so I was understandably twitchy.

"She nearly passed out when she found out." I muttered. Paul snorted, and I was glad to find that not everybody was into babying her.

"Is that it?" Sam questioned after a moment.

"Yeah," Jake said with a nod before abruptly turning to me. "What was the whole thing with teacher about?"

"Oh." I blinked. "You mean the principal, Mr. Greene?"

"Yeah, he said you went out with a bang."

Sam suddenly snorted.

"Of course he would remember Leah. She punched a teacher in the face and then got _him_ fired," Sam said with a laugh.

"Hey! That teacher was racist damn it! He didn't think an Indian would be able to tutor anybody—the fucker said it to my face! I wasn't about to let it go so I punched _him_ in the face." I yelled indignantly. Sam made it sound so much worse than it actually was.

"Only you, Leah," Jacob said mussing my hair. Freaking. Annoying. when he does that. "What were you doing in Forks in the first place?"

"Some stupid exchange tutoring or some shit. I don't really remember but my teacher made me go because I was an awesome tutor or something," I said with a shrug.

"She actually was. I think she even helped me pass chemistry." Paul mentioned.

"Yeah, isn't that how we met? I was failing English and you tutored me?" Sam asked. The atmosphere suddenly got awkward, and I tried to pretend I wasn't aware of it.

"Yeah, something like that."

"I thought Emily was going to feed us?" Quil interrupted, heading into their backyard. The rest of the pack began to awkwardly shuffle after him, Jacob remaining by my side before I pushed him toward the house. We couldn't be together 24/7 after all. I'm sure were going to get sick of each other eventually.

I turned to leave home, still refusing to set foot in that house, and get near Emily. The girl betrayed me, and the fact would never change.

"Leah." Sam called. I stopped, and turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. Sam and I could only pretend to be on polite terms when we were with the pack, otherwise we ignored each other. It was a system that really worked for me, and the moment before was a lapse in discipline. I seriously hoped that the bastard didn't think we were friends.

"What?"

"Can we... can we tal-"

"Can't. Gotta go," I said quickly. I ran into the trees before he had chance to stopped me, and I phased, shredding my clothes. Damn, now I seriously needed to go shopping.

I don't know what Sam wanted, but the almost vulnerable look he gave me as he opened his mouth made me bolt. I don't think I'm prepared for anything that Sam had to say.

Crap, now I had to show up at me house naked. I really hoped none of the neighbors were in their backyard to see the neighbor's daughter show up at the house naked. Covering that one up would be a doozy.

* * *

"Why are you going through my sisters' closet again?" Jacob asked from the door.

"Because I have to check something." I answered, finally finding my old shirt. It was one I left a long time ago, during a sleep over when we were all in high school. It had been a shirt I used to sleep in, and at the time of it's use, it had reached mid-thigh, and hung on my shoulder. I looked at it now, hastily took off my black tank top, and put the light blue shirt on.

It clung to me tightly, uncomfortably. My boobs felt as if they were being suffocated, like the shirt was going to tear at the seams, and it exposed my stomach slightly.

"Damn it." I seethed. I knew I had grown, but this just showed how _much_ I had grown over the past two years—most of it consisting of my Werewolf growth.

"What?"

"_Nothing fits anymore!_" I hissed, admittedly, a bit hysterically. The only reason this was coming to my attention was because my boobs had been hurting as if I had been on my period—which made me backtrack, and wonder when was the last time I even _had_ my period. It had been the day of my arrival, and three days into my moods. At the time I had blamed my increasing anger on my period, but it had stopped, and I only continued to get even angrier over everything.

That had been two months ago.

"Leah, calm down. We're going shopping, I'll buy you lots of food, and—we can even make fun of those bimbos that annoy you. That always makes you feel better," Jacob said quickly. I snorted at the slight panic in his voice as well as the confusion. I wasn't mad at him, but it was moments like these that I wished I had another girl werewolf that I could talk to. Although, seeing as I was the first werewolf girl in existence, I was going to have to have to figure things out on my own.

"It's not that," I said with a shake of my head.

"Then what? You know you can tell me anything, right?" Jacob said, pulling me into a hug. I sighed, but gave into it. The hug, oddly enough, made me feel better, so I held onto him tightly for a moment. "What's the problem, Lays?" he asked, dipping my chin to look me in the eyes.

"It's stupid, and I'm probably making a bigger deal out of it than it actually is." I mumbled, feeling calmer as Jake stroked my cheek. Jacob touching me was doing wonders for my sanity, and I wasn't in the mood to stop him.

"You sure?" Jacob whispered, not pushing me into telling him. I felt his breath on my face, and my eyes were kind of... closing of their own accord. I don't know what the hell was happening, but the atmosphere suddenly changed between us. It was intense, charged. The space between our lips was closing, and I was waiting for one of us to make a move to stop this moment from happening. But I didn't... sort of didn't want to stop the moment. I hated to admit it, but I've wondered what it would be like to kiss Jacob. Neither one of us tried to stop it as we stared into each others' eyes before they closed.

And then we kissed.

It was soft, and sweet, and my body just vibrated from just how... _good_ it felt; his lips against mine. We pulled back in the next moment, and just stared at each other.

"Did that just-"

"-happen?" Jake finished, looking just as stupefied as I probably was.

"Shit." I cursed pulling back further.

"This... really complicates things." Jacob mumbled, running a hand through his hair. We stared at each other for a long minute.

"Not if we don't make it complicated," I finally said with a shake of my head.

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, his eyebrows furrowing

"We were just... caught up in the moment. We're imprintees, so the imprint just got the better of us. No harm, no foul. We just go on like we normally do." I explained.

"But-"

"No buts." I interrupted. "You're still in love with Bella, Jake—don't deny it. And my life is hectic enough without adding this drama into it. Maybe later when we both have our lives in order, and you know, you're not in love with another girl," I said quickly. The words hurt to say, and I tried not to let my voice quiver as Jacob's eyes got darker the more I went on. "It's not fair to me or you to do this now." I finished with a whisper. Jake grimaced, and suddenly crushed me into a hug.

"Okay." Jacob finally agreed into my hair. His voice cracked, and I felt my eyes watering which was stupid, because it felt like we were breaking up or something. I once again gave into the hug, and held him just as fiercely as he did me. "Okay." he repeated.

"Jacob!" Billy suddenly called as his wheels squeaked their way toward us. Jacob and I sprang apart, and I wiped at my eyes in case they were too watery. "Bella's here!" Billy yelled excitedly.

"...Talk about irony." I mumbled, trying to smile up at Jake. I couldn't believe we were so wrapped up in our moment, that we didn't hear her junk of a car. Jacob didn't find it funny, and frowned at me.

"Jacob," I stated, mimicking his frown. "You're sixteen. It's fine that you don't know who you're ready to spend the rest of your life with. I won't hold it against you. We'll go to Port Angeles tomorrow. You already promised that we could talk shit about those damn fucking bimbos I hate."

He didn't move, so I gave him a half-smile, and kissed his cheek.

"I'll live knowing you're hanging out with your best friend."

"...I don't think I deserve you." Jacob stated.

"Jake!" Bella called from the deck.

"Keep telling yourself that. Now get your ass out there, and greet the girl of your dreams," I said spinning him, and kicking him out of the hall way. He gave me one last... longing look—the best I could do to describe the look—before he went outside the house, and greeted Bella with enthusiasm that—even from inside—sounded fake.

"You're too passive, Leah," Billy said, rolling to my side. "It was predetermined for you two to be together. Fighting against it will just bring both of you more pain."

I had nothing to say to Billy's sudden bout of wisdom. He threw me off when he suddenly became serious. I was too used the joking laid back man he normally was, and now when he started to make sense, I had nothing to say.

"But perhaps my son needs this to grow. It's easy to forget that he's only sixteen when he's grown so much over the year." Billy began to head for the kitchen. "Just make sure you don't wait too long, my son's virginity is really starting to become all too obvious."

"Billy!" I yelled. Shit, the old man even got me blushing. I shook my head, and ran into Jake's room taking off the shirt, and ripping it in the process. I groaned in annoyance, and grabbed Jacob's old flannel—one that was too small for him—huffing when I realized that I left my tank top in the twins' room. I went to got get, shoved it on as well as the flannel, and decided that putting off the dilemma of my period was no longer acceptable, and shuttered.

I was gonna have to talk to Old Quil.

The idea of running through the woods was less than appealing to me at the moment so I nabbed Jacob's keys, and hoped the kids didn't decide to hang out in the shed-garage thing. After stepping outside, I closed my eyes, and tried listening to their voices to see if they were.

"—you sure I didn't come at a bad time Jake? You look really distracted," I heard Bella say, obviously disgruntled by Jacob's inattention. Damn it, the least the boy could do was act like he was happy to see her. Even I realized that the girl was here on borrowed time, having probably snuck out or something to see him. My dislike for her lowered at the thought. If she managed to evade a coven of Vampires just to see Jake, then she can't be all that idiotic, right?

"Sorry, a lot of things have happened since we last hung out." Jacob said, in the apologetic voice that I couldn't stay mad at. I kept an ear on them, somewhere in the forest, probably on the trail that headed for the lake, as I made my way to the Rabbit.

I walked in, and rolled my eyes at all the tools that were in the way. Jacob was such a _guy_. The only reason his room wasn't as gross was because he shoved everything inside his closet, giving it the illusion of neatness. I sighed picked up all his crap, moving it to the table, but not actually putting it away. I knew how picky Jake was about his tools.

Speaking of Jacob, he was talking, but I had stopped listening when I started putting the stuff away. It felt wrong but I was curious—they were still pretty clear which meant that they had stopped. Jacob had the habit of staying almost completely still when he had something even slightly serious to say.

"It's just..."

"What is it, Jake?" Bella asked, concerned.

"...Did I ever tell you about imprinting?"

* * *

**Cliffhanger? Haven't done that in a while.**

**I would like to thank everybody for their favorites, alerts, and people who _did_ review! You guys rock.**

**Review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hm. Things get... serious/intimate in this chapter. It's a good thing I've already rated this story M. But things turned into an entirely different direction than I intended. It wasn't what I wanted, but it feels right. But still, I don't know. Tell me what you think.**

* * *

As I was headed for Old Quil's, I couldn't help, but reprimand myself over my sudden cowardice the imprint has suddenly bestowed upon me. I mean, seriously, I was never this much of a little bitch. Yet, somehow, Jacob unknowingly managed to make my heart beat against my ribcage, and run away from whatever he was going to tell Bella.

I really don't know what happened. One minute I'm listening in to Jacob's almost confession—the next, I'm starting the engine, and heading toward Old Quil's. Even my heart wasn't done beating loudly against my ears.

"What's wrong with me?" I put a hand on my forehead just see if I was running a fever. Then I remembered that I was running a 107 all the time, and that it was probably impossible for me to get sick anyway.

I resisted the urge to hit my head on the steering wheel—I would just end up breaking it anyway—and prayed that I would stop being weird once I reached the old man's house. I didn't need this drama in my life.

Finally—and I mean _finally—_I reached Old Quil's and parked in his driveway. The next moment I was calling him out.

"Yo! Old Quil!" I hollered, letting myself in.

"What Leah?" Old Quil answered. He was in the kitchen—what the hell was it with old guys and being in their kitchens?—so I went in there to see him eating a sandwich. God, now I was hungry. I made my way to kitchen, grabbing the whole bag of bread along with ham, cheese, and mayonnaise.

"So I was wondering," I began, keeping my attention on the sandwich. It had taken a while to get used to, but most of the reserve fed us. Most of us in the Reservation were poor, so with the sudden metabolism we all gained, our parents had a hard time feeding us. So those in the know—or even had some kind of idea—let us mooch off of them.

"About what?" Old Quil inquired, setting down his sandwich.

"What exactly does being a werewolf entail?" I asked, going into school mode. I was just as much as a rebel as the best of them, believe me, but when I attended class, I just had this no nonsense mentality. If I was in class then I might as well fucking learn. It's what got me my grades—and my scholarship—in the first place.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his eyes becoming clearer.

"Like, what exactly does it do to our bodies?" I asked, putting mayo on the breads.

"It accelerates your body's growth and then freezes it in a sense. All your senses are heightened, you become stronger, you heal faster—but these are things you already know Leah," Old Quil muttered, eying me.

Yes, I knew most of them, but they were important I needed to hear them from someone else for them to make some semblance of sense—

"Wait. Did you say freeze?"

"Well, yes. As long as you phase, you remain sort of immortal, frozen in time—"

I was suddenly dizzy. Of course, if all my shit is frozen then that includes my period. If I don't have my period then that means I can't have kids. Looks like fate just kicked me in the ovaries. God, what the fuck else was phasing going to take away from me! This just wasn't fair.

"—ah! Leah!"

I blinked, and Old Quil was standing beside me, shaking me to my senses. All the good it did considering he didn't have enough strength to move me and I could barely feel his touch on my arms.

"I was never here."

"W-what—"

"Don't tell anybody we talked about this, okay?" I pleaded—yes pleaded—and after a moment, Old Quil conceded with a nod.

"Sorry to waste your food," I said leaving as fast as I could.

I needed to go brood somewhere.

* * *

I didn't want to move, so I didn't. My bed was cozy and, without Jacob, big enough for me. Ack! There I went thinking about Jacob again. I burrowed deeper into my sheets, hating the world.

How long had I been in my room? Long enough for Seth to come bother me that's for sure. After a bit though, he went away—ignoring him was pretty easy when you've had fifteen years of practice from his whining.

Why hadn't Jacob showed up to check on me? Oh, right because he was with stupid Bella-mother-fucking-Swan. There was no way he was going to leave her when his little old imprint was depressed.

Not that I was depressed. I was just... reevaluating my life, trying to figure out where I went wrong—or perhaps it was a past life? Maybe I was Hitler in another life and that's why I was being handed such a shitty deal in life.

—but that's something I would have thought before Jacob. Now I didn't think my life was all that shitty. Being a werewolf was actually pretty cool, and the pack wasn't as annoying as I thought they would be, and Jacob—

Well... I wasn't quite sure how describe what Jake's done to me. Turned me into a sap that's for sure. Made me hate Sam a little less that's also for sure, which was annoying as hell. Well, no matter what I at least will always have my hate for Emily. She was somebody I could never forgive. Yeah, yeah, this was all her fault—the stupid bitch!

"Leah?"

So _now_ Jacob wanted to show up? What the hell time was it anyway?

I ignored him, also ignoring the way that just his mere presence was making me feel better. Imprinting just wasn't fair.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. I propped myself on my elbows to give him a look. The way he asked that was weird. The tone was far too... intimate.

"What's got your panties in a twist?" I wondered aloud. Jake just returned my look and sat down next to me, making my mattress shift from his weight.

"You're the one that's locked yourself in your room for hours. You tell me," Jacob countered.

And suddenly I couldn't hold it in. It's been swirling around in my head constantly, but I had yet to say it out loud. It would only make it more real.

"My period..."

"Oh! You're on your—well, you know, _that_?" Jacob muttered, stumbling on the word. It gave me a brief smile before I shook my head negatively.

"...So you're _gonna_ get it?"

"That's just it Jacob—I'm never going to get it again." Crap. Now I was feeling depressed again. I grabbed my blanket and threw it over my head and burrowed deep under my pillow. Just when I thought life was becoming tolerable again, this bullshit has to happen.

"Huh? What but..."

"It means I can't have babies, Jake," I explained sourly. There was three seconds of silence and I wondered if he left, but all of sudden, I felt his weight on me.

"I'm sorry," he said into my pillow. It was getting hot with our combined heat and the blanket, but I felt my face get even hotter and my eyes burned—and fuck, I think it's finally hitting me.

"I... wanted three, one after the other. Sa—" Taboo, taboo, taboo! I promised myself that I wouldn't think about _Him_ related things. But it was too late and it just made the tears fall.

"You can tell me, Leah. Talking about it will make you feel better."

"No it won't," I said shaking my head, my voice quivering. "It just makes it worse."

"Leah..."

"Sam said he wanted four," I blurted out. It was too late, I couldn't stop it anymore. "He said that after we finished college and got jobs, we'd start. We were getting married—he proposed—"

"What—" Huh, looks like he didn't know that. Somehow, this wasn't just about me not being able to get pregnant anymore. I've never ever told anyone the whole story. It has always been something that was between Sam and I. We've both never let it slip just how serious we were, but Jacob was my imprint and I guess it was time he found out why I avoided Sam and Emily all together.

"—but then he disappeared. I thought he ran away because of me. That he got cold feet and he regretted proposing to me. But he showed up in my room two and a half weeks later. I got him to kind of explain it. He had said that our legends were true, but he didn't explain exactly what it was, just kind of hinted at the fact that he changed into something _else_. I didn't care, obviously, and I guess that made us want to get married right away." After we had sex, but I'm pretty sure he knew about that part. Seth told me what Sam had let them all see, what they actually knew, and I happen to know that Sam regretted that night the most. That it was the one he thought about the most when it was just him, Jared, and Paul. That was the worst part about being a wolf. They knew some of my most intimate moments with Sam, and vice-versa.

Those images were one of the first things that bombarded me when I first phased. The things that Sam thought of when he realized I was going to be part of the pack. They were the things Jared thought of in passing when he first talked to me and explained to me just what the hell was going on. The image of me, climaxing, glistening with sweat, Sam's name escaping my mouth—Sam's feelings of complete love. I even know what he was thinking at the time.

_I love Leah, I'm going to marry her—turning into a monster hasn't changed that. I still have her._

"So a few weeks later, I invited Emily to tell her that Sam proposed to me. We hadn't told anybody yet and I wanted her to be the first to know so she could help me break the news to my folks and then... w-well. You-you know the rest." Love at first sight. Sam broke up with me a few days later and almost a month later, Emily got "mauled by a bear" and Sam was by her side and they were together. It really sucked, walking into the hospital room, worried about my cousin—that was more of a sister—and seeing Sam and her kissing.

I wasn't crying anymore. But I was tired. Thinking back on the worst time of my life can do that to a girl.

"To tell you the truth, I haven't thought of having a family since then because for years they were all going to be with Sam. Sam this, Sam that. I don't know. Am I making any sense?" Because I was really tired, and though it was kind of suffocating, feeling Jacob hugging me through my blankets was comforting.

I was really glad I imprinted now that I thought about it. Otherwise, I'd be in much more emotional pain, holding it in and all that—I'd probably eventually have a nervous breakdown from all the stress or something.

But suddenly his weight was gone, making me frown. Was he leaving?

"Where are you going?" I asked as I got out from under the blanket and pillow.

"To go kill Sam." Oh shit. I suddenly wasn't tired anymore. I got up as quickly as I could, feeling a bit dizzy, and my feet were tangled on the sheets, and fuck, I'm falling—

—right onto Jacob's vibrating chest. Looks like making sure I didn't fall flat on my face was more important than killing Sam. Thank god for imprinting.

I wrapped my arms and legs around him as I tightly as possible, ignoring his still shaking body. It didn't matter if he phased, I wasn't about to let go.

"Jacob." I looked up and tried to meet his eyes. "Hey, look at me."

It wasn't working.

"Jake. I don't love Sam—at least not like I used to." Like I said before, Jacob's turned me into a sap. Plus, with the way the rest of guys, including Jake, look up to Sam it was hard to hate him at the same time they respect him. I can see what they're all thinking, feel what they're feeling, so yeah, really hard—the bastards. "I mostly feel bitter and annoyed about having to share my ex's thoughts. To tell you the truth, I probably wouldn't feel the same way if I hadn't had you." I'd be much worse off.

"But—"

"We've imprinted, remember? I guess I can understand where Sam's coming from, you know? It's actually Emily I can't forgive—at all. I hate her, really seriously hate her, the Judas."

"Is that why you haven't so much as seen her in the three months you've been here?" Jacob finally asked.

"Exactly. Now you're catching on." Emily wasn't the one imprinting, she was the imprintee. She still had the ability to choose, to say no to Sam, hell, even wait a couple months to let me get over him, but no. She jumped into bed with her "sister's" ex-fiance in less than a month. Jacob and I both imprinted on each other—double the pull—and we still managed to keep our hands to ourselves for more than two months and even then, it was just a measly kiss. A kiss that made me feel complete, like I didn't need anyone else, ever—just him and—

...I need to stop right there.

Jacob sighed before finally wrapping his arms around me, which didn't help my thought process at all.

"'Cause of me, huh?"

"I'd be a mess without you," I admitted. Why lie? I knew it, the pack knew it, hell my own _mother_ knew it, and now it was Jacob's turn to know it too.

"Well, I guess it's the same for me," he said with a sigh.

"Huh?"

"Come on, Leah. You _have_ to realize that everything in my life is better because you're in it."

"...Don't say things like that," I said, my voice cracking.

"Why?"

"Because I'll want to be with you regardless of Bella." I was already biting my lip.

"Oh."

"Oh?" He wasn't supposed to be saying "oh". He should be stepping away from me, thinking of his love for Bella and thinking about my broken, messed up heart. Hello! Used goods here, remember?

"Today, when I was with Bella, I told her that I imprinted," Jacob began to explain. Was I ready to hear this? Wait—why wouldn't I be? Shut up brain, listen to Jacob. "But that I still have feelings for her. They just didn't disappear and that I still didn't want her to be with the stupid mind-reading Vamp. He's going to get her killed and well, obviously, he's a _Vampire_," Jacob said making a face. I couldn't help, but make a face right along with him. God, just the smell was revolting—from a distance! The way they touched each other as if he _wasn't_ something that shouldn't exist... just, ugh. Gross.

"But well, I was with her all day today, but I kept thinking about you," he admitted blushing. "Hanging around with her was so weird, and I kept having to think about what I say first 'cause I kept saying the wrong thing for some reason. I couldn't say anything about Vampires, and after updating her on some pack stuff, there wasn't much to say. I couldn't help, but wonder when it became so hard to be myself around her which kept making me think of you because I can be myself around you and I don't have to hold anything back."

And then he finally met my eyes.

It was like imprinting all over again—except better. Because I knew Jacob. Actually _knew_ Jacob; the person he was, and the idea of being with someone as good as him just sounded better and better.

"It's been months, Jake. We've all changed. Bella isn't a depressed piece of shit anymore, you've imprinted, and after what went down the last time you guys were together, things are obviously not going to be the same. Give it time, kid. Comparing her to your soul mate isn't going to paint her in a better light. I mean, look at me, I'm _awesome_, and she's a stupid cunt-licker," Yes, be a bitch. I'm not going to dwell on the fact that he just, in-a-round-about-way, confessed he loved me. Jacob is _sixteen_. He doesn't know what love is.

But I forgot that this was Jacob I'm talking to. He understands me, and long learned to not get offended about every insult that comes out of my mouth. So instead of disagreeing with me, he laughed.

"I guess you're right," he said, touching our foreheads together. "But it doesn't change the fact that it's getting harder and harder to resist kissing you." His eyes were intense and I just couldn't look away.

"Dido," I breathed, blinking. God, his scent was the only thing I could smell and it had to be laced with something because I felt my already fast heartbeat quicken the pace, and I felt butterflies in my stomach.

Fuck. I haven't felt this girly since Sam.

Oh no.

"I'm hungry," I blurted out in a panic. Jake blinked at me before grinning.

"Let's go eat then." He put me down—god, were we really that close?—and laced our fingers together. His grin softened and the look he gave me made me feel I was the most important thing in his world.

And I think I was reciprocating the look.

Shit, was I in trouble.

* * *

**Yeah, that's right I'm not—_gasp—_a Sam hater. He imprinted, that's not his fault. Sure, I normally hate the idea of not having a choice, but the whole reason this fic got started was for me to experiment with the pro-imprint team. And I really, _really_ wanted to mess with canon, but I digress.**

**But I've never hated Sam. I've always felt that if I had been in that situation (my own cousin jacking my ex-love-of-my-life) then I'd be more pissed at my cousin than the guy. She's family, damn it! You don't do that to family!**

**And Emily did, even though there was no mystical vodoo magic forcing her to. **

_**Anyway**_**, this chapter took forever because the original scene I had planned for this didn't feel right, and this happened instead. I was/am hesitant to post this because I feel that the Jacob/Leah feelings are happening too fast, but then I remembered that they're imprints and that it's weird that they ****_haven't_ been struggling. Make sense? Plus, your lovely reviews really wanted me to give you guys an update. Thanks again for all the support.**

**So that's the end to that super long author's note. Let me know what you think.**

**Review.**


	8. Chapter 8

My control has regressed.

_What happened, bitch? _Paul asked, surprised by my appearance.

_I'm losing my marbles, asshole,_ I replied without bite. I sighed and tried to clear my head of my anger and after twenty seconds, I managed to calm down. _Now I owe Jake a shirt._

_You lost it over ice-cream? _Paul questioned, wondering if he should laugh or be worried when I thought of why I got pissed in the first place. He made no comment on the fact that I was wearing Jake's shirt. It was common knowledge that I slept with him in the literal sense.

_...I used to eat it when I was on my rag, _I thought bitterly. The pack had just recently learned of my plight and though it was really annoying to have them know, it would have been more troublesome to try to keep it from them. It was hard enough keeping certain things to myself. Imprint things. Speaking of imprinting...

_Is Quil still freaking out?_ I asked, curious to not hear his voice. Quil's been phased for a few days generally being a pain about imprinting—on my _two_ year old cousin, Claire. To keep myself from being a complete bitch—it wasn't his fault after all—during his episode I've refrained from phasing. The poor kid has enough troubles as it is without me ripping on him.

_You just missed him, _Jared answered quickly. He knew Paul was going to pick and prod at what I was thinking. I was glad. I'm pretty sure I'd hunt his ass down if Paul got annoying enough. _Sam took him to the elders to help him cope_.

No wonder I hadn't heard the pricks input. Usually, when one of us lost control, Sam would reprimand us and give a lecture that we've all memorized. He also couldn't resist getting into our business. Sam tried to play it off as taking care of his pack, but I knew the bastard was just nosy.

_'Bout damn time. Quil was really starting to get on my nerves._

_Where's your other half anyway? _Paul asked.

_He went to go kidnap the stupid bitch, Bella, I think. _At least he mentioned something about the had gotten ready a bit after I came off patrol which was why I probably wasn't much of a reliable source—I hadn't been very awake.

_'Cause you won't give him any,_ Paul said making me roll my eyes.

_Whatever, bug Seth if you need anything,_ I said phasing out. That was one of the many idiots I shared my thoughts with.

Shit, now I was naked in Billy's kitchen. With a yawn, I made my way back into Jake's room, quickly as not to get caught by Billy in the living room, snatching one of his black shirts, and putting it on. Thank god, Jacob was so big, otherwise the shirt wouldn't even reach mid-thigh.

I headed back into the kitchen and decided to make actual food seeing as eating ice-cream for breakfast really wasn't working out for me.

"Hey sweety," Billy greeted as he rolled into the kitchen. I know the man was trying to sweet talk me into making him food—I was Harry and Sue's daughter, being able to cook was hereditary—but he was cool about not prying even though I'm sure he heard my yelling turn into growling in the kitchen earlier.

"Hungry for anything specific?" I asked looking into the fridge.

"A sandwich is fine," he said with a nod. Huh, guess he wasn't trying to guilt me into a three-course meal. I shrugged and began to make his sandwich.

Between handing him his plate and taking out a bunch of snacks to enjoy my own sandwiches with—a huge bag of Lays (ha ha, Jake), Ritz, Oreos, and chocolate chip cookies—Fork's perpetual rain began in earnest. It made me wonder how long it had taken me to take out all those snacks, which in turn made me even hungrier.

"Pizza would be awesome right now," I murmured, cursing the fact that I didn't have my wallet with me, but going over to my house was less than appealing because I know Embry and Seth were there playing video games.

It made me miss Jacob.

It was annoying to feel the longing for his presence. Normally I ignored it, but ever since I found out about that thing about not being able to have kids, I felt like I was going to snap or something. I don't actually understand it much myself, just that if Jacob's around it won't happen. Left to my own devices, however, well... I haven't been wanting to risk it.

Whatever. I'll eat first, worry later. Though, I'm pretty sure I saw a liter of coke behind the milk... where was that shit?

"Can you bend any lower?" Jacob's voice rang out.

"And ruin my strip tease?" I automatically retorted. His voice instantly made all the unease I felt a moment ago dissipate. Hooray for imprinting. Saves me from lots of moping.

I gave up on finding the coke and straightened, smirking up at Jacob. It quickly turned into a glare when I noticed he was trying to grab one of my sandwiches.

"What the hell, Jake! Make your own fucking sandwich!" I yelled, punching his stomach. He let go of it quickly enough.

"Awe, come on Lays," he said, trying to pull me into a hug. We've hugging a lot lately, I noted distractedly.

"Fuck off, douche. I'm trying eat," I said pushing him away. It was then that I noticed the other human in the room. Ew. It was the vamp-lover. No wonder my nose was starting to feel irritated.

"You've met, right?" Jacob asked, trying to make Bella feel less awkward.

"Yeah, um, hi, Leah," she said with a wave. I rolled my eyes at the timid wave. God, can you seem anymore fragile?

"Be nice," Jake chastised.

"It's a pleasure to be reacquainted, ma'm," I said with a southern twang. Bella stared at me in a confused fashion. I don't think she got my joke.

"Leah."

"Fine. What's up vampire-lover," I said with a shrug. That's as far as I was going to go. I turned and sat down to eat my food. Jacob sighed, the one he always did when I was being mean to someone, but Seth said it was an affectionate sigh. Wait—why was I thinking about what Seth said again? The kid didn't know what he was talking about anyway.

"Help yourself, Bells."

I ignored them. My stomach growls painfully and I'm engulfed into eating. That was another thing about being a Werewolf. I was _always_ hungry. It was never enough. I think I'm full, but then an hour later I'm hungry again because our metabolism is that fast.

"Hey."

I blinked and suddenly I wasn't eating my food, but my gaze was there. Had I spaced out?

"You okay?" Jake asked, low enough that Bella wouldn't be able to hear with her human ears.

"What? Oh yeah, peachy," I answered eying the girl Jake was supposedly in love with. Tension racked her frame. She exuded nervousness and something else... I wasn't quite sure what it was.

"What's with your girl?" I asked, nodding my chin in her direction.

"Do you really have to ask?" Jake wondered dubiously. I rose an eyebrow in reply.

"You're intimidating," Jacob answered with a grin. I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. Best news I've had all day. It shouldn't be as funny as it is, but I can't stop laughing.

"What?" Bella asked cautiously.

"Oh you fragile little girl," I said through my chuckles, giving her my best predator grin. I was pleased to watch her fiddle nervously as soon as I did. "Still just a fucking teenager." I shook my head before shoving the last of my sandwich in my mouth.

"I have to go to work, so don't bother me when I shower," I ordered as I put away my dish.

"Then don't take so long!" Jacob retorted.

"Be careful, Isabella. This boy is a perv."

"Leah!" Jacob yelled, mortified. I left and I heard Jacob tell Bella not to take anything I said seriously, and I laughed when I didn't hear Bella's reply.

Maybe this won't be a crappy day after all.

* * *

"Leah?"

I spoke too soon.

"Hey Steph," I greeted, feeling annoyed.

"Oh my god, it is you!" She jumped over the counter to hug me and I had to forcibly freeze my body to keep my fist from meeting her face. It was the packs fault for making me so violent I swear.

"Yeah," I said grimacing. I also hated it when people randomly hugged me, mostly because Emily used to do that. Jacob was the only person allowed to do that now—well, at least get away with it.

"I thought you went to UCLA?" she asked getting off of me.

"I did, but shit happened so I have to postpone going back for a little while," I answered with a shrug. A long while if my control the past week was anything to go by. My phasing had finally become manageable, but all it took was something like this—you know, being infertile and all—and I was back to phasing over the stupidest things. Case in point, my debacle with the ice-cream earlier today.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Steph said awkwardly. The girl's world was pretty tame for reservation life compared to the rest of us and the most drama the girl got was the pregnancy scare she had back in junior year.

"It happens. So, where'd you end up going?" I asked, bored enough to make small talk. The high school rush, was over an hour ago, and my fan club had been brief today.

"Berkeley."

"Cool. The parties any good?" I wondered.

"They're pretty awesome, but I've kind of been missing good 'ole fashion La Push partying. There's actually gonna be one tonight if you want to go?" Steph asked getting excited. Looks like she still remembers how we partied. Granted I only really got along with her when I wasn't sober, but whatever. I wasn't all that picky when I was drunk.

"...Yeah, I'll be there." I needed this after my sucky week. Hopefully Jacob didn't disapprove... not that I needed his permission or anything, but Jacob could whine almost as good as Seth and I didn't need a voice of reason tonight. I'd do it regardless of what he thought, so it didn't really matter anyway.

"Great, it's gonna be at the Hole," Steph explained, waving before leaving. Fuck.

The Hole was just this spot in the forest that was bereft of trees, probably a meadow once, but had long since lost all of it's green. Legend was that our ancestors battled the Cold Ones for the first time there and the lack of life was the result of the death they caused our people. Didn't really stop anybody considering it was far enough away from the houses that you could get away with throwing a massive party. It was also a spot we ran through for our patrols.

Looks like I was gonna have to end up telling the pack about it anyway.

* * *

_It's Thursday,_ Quil stated.

_No shit Sherlock. Wanna state anything else obvious? _I muttered a bit lazily. I was distracted by Paul who was leaning against the tree, guzzling down a bottle of Jack Daniels. Good thing I still had two more.

_How much did you buy?_ Embry questioned, having left before I had gone home to do his leg of patrol.

_A lot,_ I said grinning. _Anyway, point is—be careful with patrol. There's gonna be a bunch of horny, drunk people in this part of the forest and I want someone around here at all times to keep an eye out for the redhead. I doubt she's gonna do anything with so many humans around, but you never know. If you see Jake tell him I'll be here with Paul._

After they gave me their confirmations, I phased back, quickly putting my clothes on. It was a simple off the shoulder black cotton dress and black high-top converse. It was one of the few dresses that still more or less fit—mostly less. Before I started phasing, the thing ended below my knees, making the slit on the left side end just an inch above my knee. It was cute and slightly sexy. Now, however, it reached mid-thigh, leaving the slit dangerously close to my goods.

Now I was smokin' hot and not as shy about showing off my body. Constantly having to go back home naked kind of makes you lose your modesty. I've been over this before haven't I?

Things in place, I walked out from behind the tree and began to walk with Paul towards The Hole. I could already hear the rave music they had going on, and I had luckily foreseen this and gotten ear plugs for me and Paul so that we could at least enjoy it and not be in pain.

There was nothing we could do for our noses though.

Already I could smell sex, sweat, booze, and drugs in the air, making some rather strong, but weird smell that permeated my nose. I felt high just smelling it from yards away, I could already imagine how fucked up I was going to get actually being there.

It was kind of weird being hyper aware of all the crap that was going on, but luckily Paul and I had been drinking in our long awaited experiment of how-much-does-it-take-to-get-a-werewolf-wasted? So far, guzzling down a bottle of whiskey got us drunk for about fifteen or twenty minutes while the buzz remained for another ten before sobering up. We were also apparently immune to hangovers. At the moment, Paul was a bit gone and I was starting to sober up so I was going to have to get me another bottle.

We arrived and it wasn't exactly packed full of bodies, but it was quite the turn out for Rez standards. Still, with the smell that the place had, I wouldn't be able to find anybody specific so I simply grabbed Paul's hand and guided him to where people were already dancing. Paul had a temper, so I had to keep an eye on him. It wouldn't be hard to find him considering he was the biggest guy around, but still, Paul—and the rest of the Pack for that matter—had the knack of getting in trouble.

Paul used the grip I had on him to pull me to him, taking one of the bottles from me. I rolled my eyes, but allowed it seeing as it was keeping him pretty chill so far. We began to dance, drinking as we did so, getting lost in the gyrating bodies.

I felt very... human. I hadn't felt purely human in a long while and it made me feel vulnerable. I stumbled a couple of times, but once I realized that time had passed, I pushed through with Paul to the edge.

"It's not really the same," Paul said, rubbing his nose for the umpteenth time.

"Yeah—kind of weird," I agreed. It was fun, but just not the same as it was before we phased. I also felt weird that Jake wasn't with me. The Imprint Anxiety as I liked to think of it. I was surprised that Jacob hadn't bugged me all day. We usually checked in on each other at least three times a day, but I had yet to see him since the afternoon.

I felt let down too. So I couldn't even enjoy partying anymore? I sighed and scanned the crowd. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"You wanna leave?" Paul asked after a couple minutes of people watching.

"Yeah."

I sighed once more. What a huge disappointment.

* * *

The first thing I was aware of was Jacob's body pressed up against my own. It felt comfortable and rather warm. The second thing that I was aware of was that I was in my underwear, against his naked chest, and felt a hormonal urge to jump him. It was brief and quick enough to get control over, but I was left rather unsettled considering I've never really thought of Jacob in the physical sense. Jacob was good looking, but I've always thought of his caring, wonderful personality, and not his hot bod.

"Morning," I murmured when he petted my hair. Jacob grunted and I blinked. Jake was sort of a morning person. Then again, he tended to get the mandatory seven- eight hours of sleep, and just seemed nicer in comparison to myself. Monosyllabic answers were usually my thing in the morning.

"What's wrong?" I asked, immediately concerned. I sat up to look down at him to make him tell me with the will of my stare, but he wrapped his arms around me and buried his face into my neck. I fell back from his weight, and he somehow ended up on top of me.

"Bella's getting turned after graduation," Jake mumbled into my neck. _What—_I tensed and breathed heavily through my nostrils. Now was not the time to flip out. I had a distraught imprint in my hands and cursing _Isabella _to the fiery pits of hell would not make him feel better. So I kept myself from shaking—though admittedly, my body did tremble a bit before I controlled it—before setting one of my hands on his back and the other wrapping around his head.

"I told her I rather she be dead," Jacob said quietly. I held back a wince at that one. That wasn't a good move on his part. I knew enough about Bella—what with my extended time in Jacob's head—that she was pretty sensitive, another thing about her that annoyed the hell out of me, but Jacob thought was endearing. Something like that, which made me want to cringe, probably had the girl in tears.

"You guys are such idiots," I cooed, letting my fingers thread through his hair. It was getting long again, and I wouldn't be surprised if Sam would be taking us all to get haircuts one of these days.

Nothing more was said, and I let Jacob sulk in my arms. I was surprised to see that after a couple tears, he calmed down, and fell back to sleep. However, I wasn't allowed the same luxury. It was hard to fall asleep when the news was so... blegh. I couldn't even find a word to describe it. Complicated was pretty close though.

So it was official. The idiot would choose Edward over Jacob just like that. Somehow, I felt anger and relief all in one. They were rather conflicting emotions so I was quite sure they were the reason for my shaking hands.

_Get a hold of yourself, _I told myself. I wasn't sure what was wrong with me. I was angry—how dare that bitch believe that some cold blooded abomination was better than _Jacob_. Jacob who was innocence and responsibility rolled in one. He was beautiful and the idea of the whore causing him pain was irritating because it also meant she was out of the picture.

It meant I could keep him to myself, it meant that there would be war, it meant that there was nothing in the way of them, us, we in the most intimate way, and it scared me so, so much.

_He's still in love with her though._ Fuck, of course. Here I was getting my hopes like a sneaky bitch, and yet Jacob was clearly distraught over the decision that Bella-fail probably hadn't thought through. The consequences of her actions, the reparations; the girl probably thought that everything was going to work out fine. She probably didn't think about the fact that we were going to attack and kill them all.

And my heart stuttered over the idea of going into war. Sure, we more or less expected it, but not so _soon. _Jacob was the most important, or at least the forefront of my mind, with Seth a close second, and the pack, of course. They're my brothers and regardless of my very little like towards them, I would die to save any single one of them.

Especially Jacob.

My eyes fell onto his sleeping face, my heart pounding in my ears. The mere thought of losing him made something deep in my soul hurt and shudder in horrible anticipation.

I didn't resist the urge to hug him close to me. Jacob stirred and blinked up at me, bleary eyed and confused.

"Leah...?"

"Shut up," I muttered, burying my face in his hair. I could feel his confusion grow further, but as my imprint, he instinctively knew not to prod further. I was glad because I don't think I'd be able to explain what came over me.

So we hugged in silence.


	9. Chapter 9

Jacob was both moping and worrying without signs of slowing down. Bella was still ignoring him and despite calling every so often, there was no reply. He was also keeping an eye on me. I'd already been pretty emotional and edgy since the news of my infertility, but I guess the hug yesterday made him think I wasn't doing so well, which, I guess wasn't exactly wrong, but was pretty annoying. The disappointment of the the failed full enjoyment of the party was still lingering and my already short fuse was ready to blow.

"It's times like these that your virginity is all too obvious," I commented, rubbing my eyes from sleep. I was really coming to understand what Billy was saying. It was early... really, _really_ early, and I could feel Jacob's uneasiness coming from the living room. His fingers tapping against the counter by the phone is what woke me.

I blinked a few times as a bit of light gave way through the clouds. It gave the room a green glow that made me want to go back to California and never turn back. The weather there, though hectic was never the same, and that kind of thing was hard to come by when you've grown up in constant dreary rain and seeing the sun of all things was odd.

It was weird seeing the sun still rising, and I stared at it before shaking my head and going over to Jacob who was eating a bag of chips and staring off into space.

"Why are you up so early?" I questioned, grabbing his hands and pulling him away from the phone. He followed without resisting.

"I feel guilty," Jacob muttered, plopping onto the couch. I went down with him and somehow ended up half on his lap. I simply rested against the armrest and looked at him like he was a dumbass—which he was.

"_Really_?" I muttered sarcastically. Jake sent me a look, but softened as he continued to stare at me. I tried not to squirm.

"I'm worried about you," he said, grabbing my hand. I rolled my eyes, but allowed the hand holding because it did actually make me feel a little better. Less annoyed at being up before noon that's for sure.

"Why didn't you ask me to party with you?" Jake suddenly asked. I blinked. That came out of nowhere.

"What?"

"Why didn't you take me with you or even tell me? Did you think I wouldn't let you go or something? Is that why you went with Paul of people?" Jake asked, looking frustrated.

"I didn't think you'd want to go," I answered pathetically. "And Paul was the only one who wanted to see how much it took to get a werewolf drunk." I suddenly wasn't sure why I didn't just force him to go with me. It certainly would have made the whole experience a lot better. "It doesn't matter either way. The whole thing sucked and the only thing I got out of it was that it takes chugging two bottles of Jack Daniels to get me plastered."

Jake looked like he really wanted to argue—and looked hurt, which I still didn't really get—but the phone decided to ring at that moment.

"Hello?" Jake answered, frustration lacing his voice.

"Jacob?" The other voice questioned tentatively. I thanked my werewolf senses at the moment. I could hear her voice clearly, as if she was in the room with us: Bella-fail.

"Bella?" Jacob blinked. "Bella! Oh, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed. "I swear I didn't mean it. I was just being stupid. I was angry—but that's no excuse. It was the stupidest thing I've ever said in my life and I'm sorry. Don't be mad at me, please? Please. Lifetime of servitude up for grabs—all you have to do is forgive me."

Jake was good at laying it on thick. I rolled my eyes, but he sent me a look that clearly said to keep my mouth shut so I tried to behave.

"I'm not mad. You're forgiven."

"Thanks. I can't believe I was such a jerk." I could. He spent most of his time hanging out with me after all.

"Don't worry about it—I'm used to it."

Huh. Looked like the girl wasn't too annoying after all if she could already joke about Jake's less than smart words.

"Come hang out again. I'll make it up to you."

Alright, I've done enough eavesdropping to realize that Jake was fine, however, my stomach decided to growl which made me postpone my shower and head straight to the kitchen. Jacob was murmuring things they could do so I tried to ignore him in favor of grabbing a huge bowl of cereal.

"Okay," Jacob was agreeing, sounding solemn. I froze and looked over at him and Jacob's eyebrows furrowed and his lips in a thin line. "This should be interesting," he said looking over at me. I went back to his side and waited.

"Hello, Jacob."

"Bl—Edward," Jacob answered in a clip tone. I felt my hairs rise in agitation at his unnatural voice, but managed to keep from growling.

"Someone was here—not a scent I know," Edward began. "Has your pack come across anything new?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Jacob answered, giving me a look. I immediately began to shed my clothes and phased. It wasn't too long ago that I came off my shift so I knew exactly who was going to be in my head.

_Sam,_ I called, half paying attention to what Jacob and Edward were saying. _Have you guys smelled any Vampires?_

_The redhead? _Sam asked, surprised. Jared was quiet, and was worried at my sudden appearance.

_Not a scent we've smelled before,_ I explained, recalling what the mind-reader had said.

_No,_ Sam answered worriedly, running faster and sniffing harder. Jared did the same. Jacob was arguing with the Vamp about keeping Bella on the reservation as much as possible—Charlie too. Rearranging the boundaries as well.

_To keep an eye on things,_ I said, before Sam could say anything. Sam growled, but couldn't deny that it was for the best.

_We're going to have to patrol in pairs of threes and fours,_ Sam thought, annoyed that another Vampire had managed to pass through without their notice.

_Whatever_, I said phasing back. Jacob was too busy hanging up the phone to be embarrassed about my nudity.

"We're going over to Bella's to get the bloodsucker's scent," Jacob said, not looking at me as I put on his shirt.

"No shower?" I huffed. What was the point of putting my shirt back on?

"We gotta do it while the scent's strong," Jacob argued. I sighed, but conceded. We went out to the backyard, under the foliage of the trees, and phased. We were at Bella's in a minute. I was ready to barge in through the back, but Jacob said something about manners, and steered me around to the front and rang the doorbell.

"Come in, Jake!" Bella called out. I rose an eyebrow at that. It didn't seem like she knew I was coming. Jacob briefly glanced at me before walking on through. I sighed and followed.

"Should you really leave the door unlocked like that? Oh, sorry," Jacob said as I heard water splash. He probably startled her. I rolled my eyes at the goof. He seemed to forget how weak normal humans were, including their senses.

"I'm not worried about anyone that would be deterred by a locked door," Bella retorted as I walked in. Jacob agreed and Bella commented on his state of dress.

"You should be," I said, making Bella jump again. "It's stupid to think that Vampires are the only things that can kill you."

"Don't be a downer, Lays," Jacob said. I rolled my eyes and wrinkled my nose. The girl reeked of leech. "Anyway, it's just easier."

"What's easier?" Bella asked, now eying _my_ state of dress. It was just Jacob's t-shirt after all. Not like it was the first time she's seen me in it, but whatever.

"It's enough of a pain to carry the shorts with me, let alone an outfit. What do I look like, a pack mule?" Jacob answered. I scoffed at the girl's confused face. What the hell was she? Retarded?

"You've seen Jacob phase. What the fuck do you think his clothes did when he did that? Rip off and then magically sew themselves back together? We gotta carry shit around," I explained, turning around. I began to sniff around the living room, looking for the foreign scent. "Now where was the fucking bloodsucker girlie?"

"M-my bedroom, I-I think," Bella answered shakily. I growled and went upstairs.

"She doesn't like me very much," Bella stated. I rolled my eyes as I sniffed the place. It was unbearable, the stench, but it was still easy enough to distinguish the mind-reader's from the foreign one.

"Don't take it personally. Leah doesn't like many people. We'll be a minute," Jacob told her. He was with me in a second, suddenly wrapping his arms around me.

"What the hell?"

"Don't be mean," Jacob said into my hair.

"It's the vampire stench. The shit puts me on edge," I defended.

"Well, I heard it's the same for them," Jacob said with a grin. I mirrored his grin and pushed him onto Bella's bed.

"What the-" I laughed at Jacob's surprised face and continued to sniff the place. That was sure to annoy the mind reader.

"I think I've smelled enough," I stated, looking at the girl's room. So boring, no posters on the walls or anything. Sure, it was obvious she lived here, but the place just seem so impersonal—her personality didn't come through at all.

"At least fix the bed," Jake complained as he got up.

"I don't see you fixing it," I retorted, walking out. Jacob rolled his eyes and followed.

"Your room stinks!" Jacob stated as we went back into the kitchen. Bella jumped again and I rolled my eyes. Jacob just grinned impishly. "Sorry. Here—" Jacob took the towel and mopped up the spill Bella made in her fright. "I'll make it up to you. You wash, I'll rinse and dry."

"Fine," Bella answered.

"Domestic," I murmured sarcastically. It looked like I wasn't needed anymore so I began to head through the back door. "Laters."

"I'll see you at home!" Jake called as I left.

Right.

* * *

I forgot that the bonfire was tonight and my mother forced me to help out with the food. It was annoying because it just made me that much more hungry and resisting food was not my forte. I was waiting for my mom to turn away so that I could shove some food in my mouth when Jake showed up.

"There you are," he greeted, throwing an arm around my shoulders and moving to get some food. I slapped his hand away before he could.

"My mom thought it was a good idea to have a werewolf help with the food," I muttered as my stomach growled. I couldn't help, but pout as my mom continued on as if I hadn't spoken. "Come on, mom. Give me _something_ to sedate my hunger," I whined, wrapping an arm around Jake's waist to keep myself from attacking the food. I really was starving.

Sue gave a huge sigh before going into the cup board and grabbing some chips. I sighed right along with her, but took the chips anyway. I got what I wanted after all.

"Oh yeah, Bella's coming to the bonfire," Jake mentioned looking down at me.

"Joy," I said with a roll of my eyes. Like I gave a shit.

"Yeah, I have to pick her up at the border. The Leech is dropping her off," he explained.

"Do you want me to go with you?" I asked, still wary of the mind-reader.

"Unless you don't want to?" he asked, his eyes boring into my mine.

"It's fine," I said with a shake of my head. I still didn't like the idea of Jake on his own.

"Get me Seth before you leave," my mom said before we could go. "He's not as big a baby as you are about helping with the food." Low blow, mom, low blow. All quips aside, I really didn't wanna go to where Seth was.

"Alright, we'll get him before we go," Jake agreed before I could say anything. I glowered, but he paid me no attention as he pulled me along outside. Instead of heading out the backyard though, we headed to the front where the Rabbit was parked.

"Rolling out the red carpet for her?" I questioned—how else?—sarcastically.

"Shut up," he muttered, opening the back door for me. I grinned, amused at how well he knew me. With my growth, things were harder to come by, like my space, especially in the Rabbit. It was small so instead of shotgun, I went in the back and laid down. Only when it was Jacob and I, otherwise no one got the front seat, but me.

I wasted time getting comfortable, making the five minute drive go by in a flash. All too soon we were at Sam and Emily's house and I was forced to get Seth. I could have stayed in the car, but that felt too much like hiding, and I certainly wasn't scared of Sam, much less Emily. It's just when I saw her, I received this flood of anger just looking at her face.

While I had "officially" broken up with Sam, it didn't change the fact that I had caught my cousin and my supposed love of my life making out—twice. Once in the hospital after the "bear attack" which I pushed myself into denial. I couldn't believe that Sam, _Sam Uley_, the most honor bound man I knew, could have it in him to cheat on me. He wasn't his father, he just wasn't. But when I opened the door to my porch to find them kissing, I snapped. It hadn't been pretty.

With Sam in my head, I knew that they obviously hadn't meant for me to find out that way, and with Sam imprinted on her, I could understand. Really I could. I also had an imprint. I was fully aware of how hard the pull was to resist. I think the reason I've been able to do so is because of all the crap I was going through at the time. I didn't need a boyfriend, I just needed someone to be there for me, and Jacob felt the same. We figured that an imprint became whatever the imprinted needed him—or her! to be. That explanation certainly had been helping Quil with his imprintment on Claire, a two year old.

It also meant that Emily had wanted a man in her life and that it didn't matter who it was. Sure, she waited a month and "resisted". Except I knew Sam told her how much he still loved me in a way that was entirely different from what he felt for her, and that he was going to marry me when he met Emily. Explained everything to her simply because she asked, and despite her misgivings, she was willing to look past all that and be with him. Emily had been my best friend, and from how much thought and consideration she put into my feelings, I guess I hadn't been hers. Because she had been honestly _surprised _by my reaction.

I was on my way to forgiving Sam. I couldn't even think of Emily without this horrible, malicious feeling clawing at my insides.

"You don't have to talk to her. We're just going in, getting Seth, and going to pick up Bella," Jacob murmured into my ear. I hadn't realized I had been shaking, but he grabbed my fists, and brushed my knuckles with his thumb. It helped, it really did.

"Okay," I whispered, clenching my eyes closed to get a hold of myself. After a minute, I managed a smile and looked up at Jake thankfully. Jacob merely grinned.

"Where the hell is Seth?" I questioned loudly as I walked in. I can tell how badly surprised everybody was by how each werewolf that had food—which was all of them—froze before they could stuff their mouths, or froze mid-chew, and gaped at me. It was gross, but mostly amusing.

"Lays?" Seth questioned from the kitchen.

"Mom needs your help with the food," I stated, grabbing Jared's last bit of sandwich and shoving it in my mouth before he had a chance to get it back. We'd all been in each others' head long enough to know how wondrous this occasion was. I was just happy they weren't making that huge a deal about me being here. Jake, after watching my face for a few moments, realized I wasn't going to have an emotional breakdown from simply being in her presence, and deigned that it wouldn't kill me if we stayed long enough to get a bite to eat which he demonstrated by heading for the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and took a seat, stretching lazily, setting my feet on the table.

"L-l-leah!" Emily cried out in surprise. She was carrying a basket of the stupid muffins she always made, and I rolled my eyes at how little my cousin had changed. It annoyed me how different I was, while she managed to stay the same.

"E-e-emily," I mocked, listening to Jacob's moves. I needed him to hurry up, because while I was fine with being in her presence, if the girl tried to talk to me I don't think I"d be able to restrain myself.

Emily flushed, cowed by the disdain in my voice. She looked down, unable to look anybody in the eye. Sam said nothing to defend her, probably just glad how well I was behaving. Whether Emily was up to the task of me being mean to her was none of my business. She could easily leave the room or kick my ass out of the house. I was hoping for the latter.

Emily stood at the entryway of the kitchen awkwardly, clearly at a loss at what to do with me here. I merely yawned, and looked at my imaginary watch on my left wrist, making half the pack snicker like little kids.

"Uh, I have some muffins here," Emily said nervously, setting them slowly at my feet.

"I had no idea," I stated sarcastically. Like we didn't know what her fucking muffins looked like after years of making the same shit. " I could have sworn they were shrooms you were trying to drug me with. It's gotta be the reason why I'm here, and talking to _you._"

"Leah," Sam scolded. I simply shrugged.

"Wait—does that mean you think she's drugged you before?" Quil questioned. Completely missing the point, you doofus.

"Can you guys think of another reason why she's here?" Paul wondered incredulously. "Damn it—that means she got to do our next experiment!"

"What would that be?" Embry wondered, having not heard of it yet. Even I wasn't sure what he was talking about.

"How many drugs does it take to get a werewolf to trip out," he explained. I snorted, trying to reign in my laughter, but at Sam's face, I couldn't help, but laugh my ass off.

"I think you guys have done enough experiments," Jacob said wryly, coming into the living room, chicken wing in hand.

"I'm sure you'll appreciate our dedication to science when you're old enough to drink," I told him with a grin. Jake rolled his eyes, and began to head out. I was quick to follow.

"That was fun," I said sarcastically as I crawled into the Rabbit.

"I'm quite proud of you,." he stated seriously.

"I should get a reward," I said, sitting up behind him as he started the engine. I poked his neck, rather serious about what I just said.

"I'll take you Port Angeles."

"It's not a reward if I have to pay for it," I informed him, wrapping my arms around his neck, seat and all, in what was meant to be a threatening fashion. It came out more like a hug instead.

"I think Emily's life is a reward in of itself," Jake said mockingly.

"Jacob."

"Leah."

"I glared at him, and Jake merely smiled at me from his rear view mirror. Even though it felt slightly patronizing, there was no sting. Regardless, I squeezed his neck hard enough to make him swerve and choke, spluttering and coughing once I eased up.

"Not nice," he said with a pout.

"I'm not nice," I grumbled, picking at his chin hairs. They were growing, and felt rough against my hand. It made me wonder what they'd feel like if I kissed him...

"You are to me," he said softly. Our eyes met in the mirror, even as he parked on the side of the rode. The wonders of werewolf abilities: multitasking. The windows were rolled down so we could smell the border, but we couldn't look away. There was a sudden tension between us, one I couldn't possibly understand. I blinked and the spell was broken.

I pulled my hand away from his chin, too slowly at first, and quickly made my way out into the lightly sprinkling water. It felt more like mist against my skin, and it was a distant feeling. Much more different than it was as a human. It was impossible to understand unless you were in tune with everything like we were.

"So what do you think your reward should be?" Jake questioned as sat on the Rabbit. I shrugged, watching him as he looked on at the road. I looked away from the eager look in the face, feeling strange at it's appearance. It shouldn't hurt to see him so excited about seeing Bella, but it still sent a small pang through me. I only felt anger once it passed.

I knew Bella's relationship with Jacob. I knew how he felt about her, I knew all of this, and accepted it.

Or at least I thought I had.

Unfortunately, a small part of me, the part that was holding out on Jacob, that kept giving me urges to kiss him, that wanted him completely, heart and soul; was stupid and obviously not as understanding as the rest of me.

"You have to want something," Jake said, poking my side. I jerked away, not expecting the move, and nearly toppled over, but Jake grabbed my waist, and pulled me to him at the last second. In thanks, I elbowed his stomach.

"Ow," he said rubbing his silly abs. There would be a bruise for about five minutes, but that was it. It wasn't _that_ hard a hit. "Meanie."

"Meanie?" I questioned incredulously. Was he taking come-back lessons from Seth and Claire? Those two made Quil and Embry seem mature, and that was saying something.

"Shut up," he muttered, covering my face with his hand. I licked it an effort to make him let go, but I found that he wouldn't. So I bit him.

Jacob yelped, before growling, and biting my cheek in retaliation. He wouldn't let go, and I began to pinch and twist his cheeks.

"Fruck, le go!"

"Y'u le go!"

"Y'u sarted it!"

"No ou id!"

"ella's oming!"

"You firsht!"

"You firsht!"

"Fruck, troosh—at da shame t'me!"

"Run!"

"Too!"

"Three!"

We jumped away from each other, groaning and holding our faces. I could feel a bit of blood running down my cheek, and swiped at it, glaring at Jake as he padded his red, also bleeding cheeks.

"You look stupid," Jacob mentioned childishly.

"You want to get beaten up in front of your little girlfriend?" I asked him angrily.

"Don't get mad," he said, pulling me into a hug. He rubbed his wounded cheek against mine, and the urge to kiss him flashed through me once more. To resist, I looked down and buried my face in his chest. I didn't need this crap.

"I'm not mad," I said after a minute. Although I was suddenly tired—very tired of all this drama. I almost just wanted to go away on a little vacation. Not just a day away from La Push, but an actual vacation.

But that was impossible. It hurt too much to be away from Jake, and if I was completely honest with myself. I didn't want to go anywhere without him. With him in my life I've become much more happier. Not mention, with my control so abysmal at the moment, there was no way I was going anywhere for a couple months.

I patted his wounded cheeks as I pulled away. Just int time for a Volvo to turn the car thirty feet away. Jacob waved at Bella's own timid greeting. I stood at full height, making sure I kept my face neutral. The mind-raper was exiting, going to grab something from the back. I was intrigued. I didn't stop me from noticing Bella's new jacket. I wasn't sure what the look was about, but it was certainly eye-catching, and looked unbelievably out of place on her person.

"Wonder what's up?" Jake questioned at the sight of Bella carrying a helmet. It became apparent though when Edward re-emerged with a motorcycle.

Then, after they exchanged a few words, the bloodsucker wrapped his arms around the china doll, and they began to make out. I was thoroughly grossed out. I gagged, turning away from the sight as Jake growled lowly. Bella began the slow trek toward us, an Ed-loser glared at me as she did so, and I flicked him, truly not giving a fuck.

"What's all that?" Jacob questioned as he eyed the helmet and jacket.

"I-I thought I should put it back where it belongs," Bella explained.

Looked like she wasn't as annoying as I thought if she could put such a wide smile on Jake's face. As soon as she crossed the line, Jake and I pushed off the against the car, somehow getting into a slight defensive position, while the bloodsucker had been out, but he was inside his car now so I could relax just a tiny bit. I moved for the bike, taking it away from the nervous girl, while Jacob went for a hug. I rolled my eyes at the lame tactic, but found myself smirking when I saw the mindreader's knuckles tighten on the wheel in clear jealously before driving away. I shoved the bike in the back seat, and frowned at the amount of space there was left.

"I'll meet you there," I said closing the door. "I'm sure my mom needs help with the food."

"Be careful," Jake called out as I left into the density of the trees. I waved a hand without looking back.

* * *

"Are you gonna eat that hotdog?" Paul asked Jacob hungrily. Fuck, I was gonna ask him for that!

"I guess," he said slowly with that look in his eye. He'd been acting kind of weird with Paul lately. Since we went to the party without him, actually. What I would give to be in his head right now. "But I think Leah wants it more than you do," he said handing it to me. I smirked as he grinned down at me. I was sitting between his spread out legs while Bella was on his right. Jared and Kim were at our left, and doing their annoying imprint thing, while Sam and Emily were on the other side with the council members, with Seth next to mom. The rest were scattered around, eating as per usual.

"It's getting late," Bella murmured to Jacob. I scoffed.

"What? Your boyfriend gave you a curfew?" I asked incredulously.

"Shut up, both of you." What? I'd been good! "We haven't even gotten to the best part yet," he said to Bella.

"What's the best part? You swallowing a cow whole?" she questioned after a second. The girl was getting good at ignoring my jabs, or at least not showing how much I was getting to her. Jake chuckled his low throaty laugh that I felt through my spine, and I tried not to shiver as he wrapped his arm around my waist.

"No. That's the finale. We didn't meet just to eat a week's worth of food. This is technically a council meeting. It's Quil's first time-"

"Hearing the stories. We've heard them all before, technically, except now we know they're true," I interrupted.

"I was going to say that," Jake grumbled.

"Stories?" Bella questioned. I felt Jacob shift closer, and I tried not to growl and distracted myself with my hotdog. Stupid imprinting. I was never the jealous type.

"The histories we always thought were legends," he explained. "The stories of how we came to be. The first is the story of the spirit warriors."

Jacob's voice was silky smooth, lethargic. It held the beginnings of the Alpha tone, and it made me wonder what kind of man he would grow into. While Jacob certainly didn't look it, he was still sixteen- still a teenager. He was an already pretty amazing kid so I almost couldn't wait for the years to wise him up a little more.

I was suddenly distracted by a spiral notebook and pen that entered my peripheral.

"What kind of dumbass takes notes at a bonfire?" I questioned loudly. I killed the somber mood that Jake had created as Quil, Embry, Jared, and Paul began to snicker like little kids. THey oved it when I bullied other people that weren't them.

Emily blushed a couple shades of red, looking down, unable to take the sudden attention I bestowed upon her. I sniffed and nearly laughed at the scant scent of salty water. There was a subtle difference between ocean water and tears. I don't remember it being this easy to make someone cry.

"What the hell is Makah doing up there? Allowing tourists to sit in on our traditions?" Foreigners were always eager to copy everything down.

"Lays," Jake pleaded into my ear. His lips brushed against my lobe, and I closed my eyes at the sensation of his breath. I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could, feeling the eyes of the council on me- especially my mothers. After a moment of silence, Billy began to tell the history of our tribe... the true history.

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**Had to stop it there, this thing was getting long. **

**As per usual, your opinions are greatly appreciated. **


	10. Chapter 10

**If anything Leah says sounds hypocritical or contradicting... well it probably is. This is first person point-of-view, and I like to write it as realistic as possible. This is how I imagine Leah's head or thought process to be like which is why she rambles and goes off on a tangent some times.**

**It also gives you guys really long chapters. I think this is my longest yet. **

**Also, special thanks to Lita of Jupiter for reminding me that I hadn't worked on this in a while.**

* * *

"And so the sons of our tribe again carry the burden and share the sacrifice their fathers endured before them," Billy finished up.

The way he had spoken made me remember what we were doing. We were saving people and _keeping_ them safe. We were protectors, spirit warriors, and I felt my pride inflate at the thought.

"Burden," Quil scoffed, making me open my eyes. "I think it's cool."

Billy chuckled and the spell was broken, turning the atmosphere nice and friendly. I chuckled as well. I might have thought it was a burden, if I had still been a wreck; heart broken. Of course, the person who made it so was right behind me.

I turned to look at him and he looked down at me as well, and we shared a smile.

Yeah, not a burden indeed.

We blinked and turned to Jake's shoulder and found Bella nodding off.

"Looks like its past someone's bedtime," I stated. Jacob let out a snort, and I pulled away, allowing him to pick her up gently. I grabbed Bella's cellphone as it fell out of her pocket in the process of getting picked up, and decided to be a responsible adult. Jacob eyed me warily as I went through her contacts and dialed her home.

"Hey Charlie, I'm just calling to let you know that Bella's going home a little late," I said without preamble.

"Billy warned me it might. Thanks for calling anyway," Charlie answered.

"Cool." I hung up and looked for the next idiot I loathed to call.

"Love—"

"Isabella is asleep right now," I said in the coldest voice I could muster. The pack stopped what they were doing to loosely gather around me. I don't think they were aware they did it though, but it certainly calmed me down. "The bonfire ran a bit late and she ended up nodding off. We'll drop her off at the border in fifteen minutes."

"...Thank you," the bloodsucker said. I blinked and felt annoyed at his unnecessary politeness.

"Whatever," I said hanging up. As soon as I did the pack dispersed and continued on with picking up all our crap. My hand was shaking in anger from having the mind-reader address me even though I called him—again, I had no control these days—and I felt the girl's phone strain under my hand.

"You okay ?" Jake asked me, worriedly as per usual. I rolled my eyes and decided I needed to rid myself of Bella's phone. Jake might want to mess with it, so I needed to put it in a secure place.

So I shoved them in her breasts. It seemed logical to me.

Jacob shook his head at me, smirking all the while. I don't get what's so amusing, so I continued on to the Rabbit, opening the passenger door for him and laying in the back.

It was supposed to be Embry, Quil, and Jacob on patrol, but my body was wired to not having much sleep, and I was wide awake, and I thought I might take a run anyway to get rid of some energy. We drove to the border and just a second later, headlights came into view. I pulled myself out through the open window, and the bloodsucker got out and watched, eerily frozen. I could see him clearly from here and his eyes flickered to where Bella was as Jake tried to wake her up. I watched him already bored of the proceedings and wished they'd hurry their asses up 'cause I needed to do something productive. Finally, the girl crossed the border and we headed over to Jake's to drop off the car.

"Where are you going?" Jacob questioned as I followed him out.

"I'm not sleepy," I answered with a shrug. I wasn't remotely tired either so I didn't see why I couldn't patrol with them. I don't like that they're pretty much staying up all night, but considering its summer vacation and they all somehow managed to pass to the next grade, I can't really tell them what to do.

"Don't you have work tomorrow?" he questioned, his eyebrows raised.

"Like at two," I muttered stubbornly.

"You should rest," Jacob pleaded. I hated it when he got like this. Ever since that day with the redhead, Jake was mother henning every time I was out on patrol. Don't get me wrong, I understood. Sometimes my thoughts strayed to the what ifs, but I wasn't a girl about it. I sucked up my morbid thoughts and trusted that he could take care of himself. It bugged me that he couldn't offer me the same courtesy.

"I'm fine," I said with a roll of my eyes. Fuck I wasn't Bella. I didn't need to be protected!

"You're my world," Jake suddenly whispered, pulling me into a hug. I tried really hard to keep my face from getting hot, and I buried my face into his chest in case I couldn't stop blushing. That was a new one.

"I'm sorry that I can't leave you alone sometimes," he muttered into my hair. "But just the thought of being separated from you hurts and imagining you out there—"

"Jacob," I cut off, grabbing his lips between my fingers to shut him up. "Its like that for me too." Jake visibly calmed and I let go of his lips to cup his cheek. "But I don't let it get to me. I believe in you—trust that you won't get yourself killed if not for me, but for your family and friends."

"I know, but... its hard," he mumbled. "And getting harder. I love you—always have, but now I'm starting to think its different, like I'm—" I don't know why I panicked, but my hand slapped over his mouth like a reflex. While it hadn't been very hard, I could see the hurt written all over Jacob's face and I immediately felt guilty.

"Jacob... don't, don't tell me things you don't full heartedly mean. I'm not some one to be strung along in some creepy little love triangle. You're _sixteen_. Its okay to not have everything figured out. I don't have everything figured out. Its okay to wait. We don't have to jump into things. We have lots of time. Not to mention your feelings for—haven't we been over this?" I questioned, feeling like I was repeating myself.

"Leah, we can't keep ignoring the way we feel," Jake argued, furrowing his eyebrows and running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Yes we can," I said not budging.

"No—we can't!"

"I won't have my heart broken again!"

Oh crap. I hadn't meant to say that. I slapped a hand over my mouth in a pointless gesture that I could somehow shove the words back in, but the damage was done. Jacob's eyebrows rose in clear surprise and I didn't know what else to say. I was kind of frozen at the moment. God, saying that out loud made me feel pathetic. Here I thought I was finally getting over Sam, but here comes the extra baggage. I know I'm not ready for a relationship. I was in one for four years and I thought I needed more time to rediscover myself. A year away was what I thought enough time, but coming home made me realize that I had merely been avoiding everything and that I really didn't know myself at all.

Becoming a werewolf gave me a whole new spectrum of feelings—mostly primal that affected the ones I already had. It turned my world upside down by binding me to another person, something I hadn't wanted. Except it all turned out for the better. It gave me a bigger purpose than I ever pegged my life would be and being tied to Jacob wasn't bad at all... when we didn't complicate things.

Having lovey-dovey feelings was certainly complicating things.

I was confusing myself with this introspective bullshit. I don't want to deal with any of this. So I unfroze and began to head out toward the road to my house. There was no way I was phasing now and I sure as hell wasn't about to stay at Jacob's.

"You can't just walk away when you say something like that!" Jake yelled, grabbing my arm. I struggled, but his grip was tight and unyielding and I was getting doubly irritated.

"Yes I can!" I didn't want to explain that the whole time that I seemed mature and calm about our relationship, it was actually a facade. That I was just scared shitless about loving someone again, especially with my soulmate. It meant that unlike with Sam, Jake could honest to god destroy me if something bad happened. This imprint crap wasn't as absolute even if it felt like it sometimes.

Sam still had feelings for me. When he wasn't around Emily and around me, he thought about us sometimes. What it would be like if he had never imprinted. The pack never talked about it because they were fleeting, but the fact that he wavered even a little bit was enough for me. Just like when Jared finds himself bumping into his old crush, he still can't help, but act a little shy around her unconsciously remembering what it was like before Kim,when he hadn't even realized she existed.

And with Quil imprinting on my two year old cousin. There is absolutely nothing disgusting about the way he feels about her. Its a mixture of a father-brother feeling. The way he looks at her like she's a miracle, like he'll protect her, and raise her to be a good person. He can't even think of her being older, he just lives in the present. He doesn't want to believe that his feelings will ever change.

But what if I was wrong?

What if it was like there's a switch. Once you turn it on there is no turning back. Sam just wonders out of curiosity. Jared's is just an old habit, and there was no knowing with Quil. What if Claire wants him? Would it be possible to deny his own imprint what she wants? Even I felt like I was just putting off the inevitable sometimes.

The whole thing wasn't without it's issues and I suppose it was different with Jacob and I considering we were both wolves, and it was double the imprint. I don't know... sometimes I wonder. It was so different between us that I began to speculate if it was really an imprint or something else entirely. Something new that had never happened before because I was the first female werewolf in existence.

"No you can't! We'll never solve anything this way!" Jake argued, pulling me to him.

"I don't want to solve it! I want to ignore it! Why the hell can't we just stay the way we are?" I questioned, my hands fisting in frustration. "We worked so fucking hard to define our relationship, and keep it platonic. We said we weren't like the rest of them. We said we didn't want each other like that!"

"And I didn't! You didn't! It wasn't love at first sight. But, then one day I found myself thinking about kissing you, and holding you, and our future. I kept forgetting about Bella, why I wanted to spend time with her, the things I loved about her. They slowly started to seem so _trivial_ compared to you!"

I don't know why, but I just started crying. His declaration hit me hard and there was no more denying the growing feelings we held for each other. It was hard for me to accept that he was honestly slowly falling for me. That it wasn't because the imprint was compelling him. I was so fucking confused that I couldn't do anything else, but cry.

The sight of my tears made his eyes widen in panic. He grabbed my face and tried to wipe my cheeks with his thumb, but they just kept falling. I couldn't help, but let out a laugh even as I began to cry harder—I was practically sobbing at this point. I felt so helpless, like things were spiraling out of control, that this would change_ everything_, and that I honestly just wasn't ready for it.

"Please, I just can't. Not right now. I'm sorry," I managed out, shaking my head. His reaction was instant, his eyes squeezing shut and his body tensing. After a moment of his body shaking, it seemed like he managed to get it under control, before suddenly looking determined.

"At least... at least tell me this—do you have any feelings for me?" he asked, almost desperately.

"Of course I do you idiot! Why the hell else would I be crying? What do you think makes this so damn hard!" I yelled, furiously wiping at my tears. Jacob let out a breath that I hadn't realized he'd been holding, and sagged in relief.

"Okay. We'll wait." Jake let out a sigh and placed his huge palms on my shoulders. "But there will be a time when we'll have to face this and you won't be able to push it off."

"I know that," I agreed with a tired nod. Being emotional made me feel fatigued and now all I wanted to do was crawl into bed. "But that time isn't now."

Jacob grimaced, but conceded with a nod. I yawned, then sniffed, my nose a runny mess after my sudden bout of crying, and I felt embarrassment once I realized what an emotional wreck I was. Jake grinned and kissed my forehead before pulling away. "Go to bed."

I wanted to protest, but yawned before I could, and I pouted in annoyance. Jake laughed and bent over, knocking me over from my knees and carrying me in his arms. I instinctively grabbed onto his neck, glaring all the while. I distinctly remember who was in this same position not too long ago after all. We climbed into his room through the window, and he laid me down on the bed. He did it so tenderly that I couldn't reprimand him for it.

"I'm falling for you Leah and I want you to know that I don't think it's because of the imprint, but because of the old fashioned way. Where even the things you do that irritate me make me like you even more," he teased in a whisper.

When he told me that—well, I felt no regret at pulling him down to me so I could kiss him. Jake was clumsy at first, but soon his mouth seemed to meld perfectly with my own. I cupped his face when he pulled away.

"You're a hopelessly sappy, stupid boy," I decided with an affectionate scoff. Jacob grinned at me hugely.

"You love it," he stated smugly.

"I do," I admitted, my voice growing soft despite myself. "I really do."

* * *

I woke up kind of... I woke up horny. I felt my face flush, and I opened my eyes and turned back to see if Jacob was awake. Thankfully, he wasn't, but when he wakes the scent will be there. Normally, I'd be able to take this in stride, but after what happened yesterday between us, it was just horrible timing.

It was odd all things considering. I wasn't too much of a hornball unless someone got me going... Oh. Huh, Jacob's hand was cupping my breast. He probably squeezed or something while we were asleep. It might explain my dream at least and why I'm so turned on at the moment. And since I haven't had sex in a long time now, that little bit was probably enough. Ugh, that makes me feel like a sexual deviant taking advantage of a virgin.

At least this wasn't the first time its happened. I'd woken up a number of times with something poking me, but for a teenage boy I found that it was healthy and nothing to be embarrassed about. Regardless, Jake couldn't even look at me for the remainder of the morning.

But that was months ago now. I kind of miss the way he reacted to my teasing. Since he woke up early as hell in the morning we don't have incidents like that anymore. I wanted to move his hand, but I had a feeling he'd wake up. Maybe if I moved around a bit...

Okay that's a no. He just pulled me closer to him, squeezing my breast in the process. I bit my lip in irritation. I liked that a little too much, and now I really felt like a fucking perv.

"Jacob," I whined. His hold was tight and I couldn't even turn around.

"Hm," he mumbled sleepily.

"You're suffocating me, you fucking cuddle monster," I hissed, hoping he didn't notice where his hand was.

"Huh?" Jake's hold squeezed once more and I let out a small, involuntary yelp, before it went lax. I smacked his shoulder as I sat up. There was no way I was going back to sleep now.

"'m sorry Lays," Jake mumbled as he burrowed into his pillow. I rolled my eyes as he fell back to sleep. Looking at the clock, I realized he's only slept about three hours.

Suddenly, a howl echoed throughout the forest, and I instantly recognized it Sam. I guess he was calling for a pack meeting.

"Damn it," Jacob muttered. Oh, there was an alpha command in that if it woke Jake up. Wonder what the big deal was.

"Duty calls," I murmured sarcastically. I rummaged through the pile of clothes we created in the corner of his room, remembering that I had thrown some shorts in there. I came up empty and sighed, resigned to grabbing one of Jake's larger shirts, hoping that would suffice.

"How was last night?" I asked in a lackadaisical manner. We phased, his answer coming flashing through my mind. He couldn't stop thinking about me the whole time.

_...Hey guys, _Seth awkwardly greeted. I did a mental face-palm, and ran a little bit faster, ready to get out of this.

_Are you patrolling? _I asked, distracted by Sam switching our shifts. It was annoying as hell.

_Uh, no. I'm supposed to stay phased so that Quil and Embry know what's going on._

_What's up guys? _Quil greeted just as awkwardly as Seth. Embry merely snickered.

_Why haven't I been told of the switch in schedules? _I mumbled, irritated. We didn't have to be phased to be told things. We had fucking phones after all and he could easily reach me through Seth or Jacob.

_I think that's what this is about, _ Seth suggested, trying to keep me from blowing up. I registered the attempt and tried not to get to worked up.

_Its probably about the boundaries I changed yesterday too, _Jake added. Ugh, I just knew that Sam was going to be an ass and make our lives a living hell.

_How do you know that? _Embry questioned dubiously.

_Please, its _Sam_, _I answered with a mental shrug.

_Riiight,_ Quil said sarcastically. These boys could make an argument out of anything. Some days it was actually pretty amusing. Most of the time though, it was aggravating as hell. Especially when the king of contradiction was my imprint. All cute, considering, comforting person aside, he was still a teenager. They all were and it was something that suddenly came to attention some times.

They were all in this precarious position of responsibility and young naivety. We weren't all the same age. We were in different stages of development and with our minds linked, we picked up different habits from each other; sort of blended thoughts while still remaining separate entities. As a teenager you were still trying to figure out who you wanted to be, not just a career, but who you are—though it could take years—and our situation made it infinitely more difficult than it already was. Heaven knows I wasn't the same person I was, but a year ago and I thought I had everything figured out. I was pretty proud of my boys, the way they didn't let anything truly get to them—to make them stop trying.

Crap. I was thinking nice things about them. Next thing you know I won't mind being around them when we weren't phased. Talk about annoying.

Finally, we reached the edge of the forest where the trees began to thin out and give way to the unnaturally place plotted plants. Emily's doing no doubt. It was a werewolf thing to be able to tell what should or shouldn't be there. Again, like most of the stuff we were exposed to now, it was hard to explain without actually experiencing it. The way the roots moved around the man-plants was different compared to deeper in the forest where most people didn't wander into.

I phased back and put on Jake's shirt, walking over to the clearing where the rest of the pack had already gathered. Farther, Emily was sitting at the porch observing. I tried to pretend that her presence didn't irk me, and hopefully Jacob was the only person to notice it.

"What's up lady-wolf?" Paul greeted in his usual idiotic tone. I'm sure it made other naïve girls wet in their panties from just how suggestive his face and tone were. It was all sultry-like, I guess. It had the opposite effect on me and it made my lip curl up in disgust briefly before I managed a sneer in return. I refrained from rolling my eyes when Jacob stood straighter and drew closer to my side.

Somehow, after working myself up before on our way here, my interest was gone, and all I wanted to do was get this over with. Not that I had wanted to stay and have a nice long chat with my alpha before, but my mood changes were much more drastic these days. I was an emotional wreck, but there was nothing I could, but learn some control again.

"We need to run more patrols. Another vampire is after Bella, one that can evade a coven of vampires despite one being with her at all times," Sam said. He was quick and to the point I'd give him that. Still, I yawned and leaned back against Jacob, making his lip twitch before he frowned down at me, and looked back up at Sam. They all hated how insubordinate I was, Jacob included. Sam helped them out with every aspect of their transformation. They all admired and respected him and it was hard to see someone who didn't.

Sam didn't help me with mine, I stubbornly refused any help from anybody. When I found out I was the first girl werewolf in existence, I decided that I would learn things on my own, just in case I was different from the rest of them. So I didn't see Sam as my savior, I merely saw him as the guy who just happen to phase first and so gained the leader role out of seniority.

I think my opinion of him gave him a reality check, why I tended to bring out all his faults and insecurities, at least from before, the ones they all thought he grew out of because he was such an adult, a figure of undisputed authority that they all looked up to. It was hard to believe that those two different personalities were from the same person.

When I stare too long, size him as I end up doing, Sam fidgets. Always has. When I scoff, Sam twitches—whether it was one of his fingers, eyelids, eyebrows, or, rarely, his ears—he twitches. When he has to explain things that don't have to do with the pack, and I'm there, he suddenly becomes bashful. Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Sam had always been a bit shy, but being the first wolf to phase and having to figure everything out on his own matured him, and all those old habits had basically disappeared. But suddenly bring in his high school sweetheart i.e. me, and he's seventeen again.

It probably didn't help that I made everything purposefully hard for him. For four years, I wore the pants in our relationship. However, as wolves, the roles were reversed and I had to take orders from him. If it wasn't an Alpha command, I was there arguing about it. I made sure to constantly critic his judgment, point out the flaws in his logic, and mention that while luck would have him transform first, fate and lineage would eventually take his power and give it to Jacob, the rightful Alpha.

I was good at bringing people down. It was a gift, I swear.

"So we will all be patrolling in bigger groups and longer shifts," Sam stated. I should have bet money because I would have won.

"Told you," I murmured for my own benefit. Jacob covered my mouth with his hand and I glared up at him. The boy had a habit of doing that to me.

"So we'll be running all day and letting the vampires patrol the night," Sam concluded.

"I have a job," I stated with furrowed eyebrows. "So I'll be taking a night shift anyway." If I was going to be keeping my job I was going to have to make some sacrifices. Even if it meant running into those fucking blood suckers.

"No. We need everyone to be patrolling. Quit."

It grew silent as we were thrown back by Sam's order. I recoiled, feeling like I just got slapped, before bristling indignantly.

"Wait—" Jacob started off quietly. I didn't give him the chance to finish.

"What the fuck! Who the hell do you think you are to tell me to quit my fucking job! I've been doing my part as a fucking wolf, having a job at the same time just fine, and all of a sudden you want me to fucking quit!"

"We need everybody, Leah," Sam said in a placating manner.

"You are so full of shit! You act like my not being there will be detrimental to how we patrol. Everybody knows that Seth has the best ears and that Jared has the best sense of smell. I'm the fastest, but that doesn't mean shit if what happened the last time was any indication considering you won't let me attack a vampire even if Embry was with me! Not only are you a sexist, you're a fascist too and I sure as hell am _not_going to quit my fucking job. We all know that we've all wished at one point or another that I had never phased into a fucking werewolf!"

Whoops, that was a whole other issue, so I ignored the winces and guilty looks my words induced and continued on in a different vein.

"How do you think most of these boys get fed? Is it because you being Alpha magically makes food appear for us? No, its because I give these kids' parents money for food. I buy them clothes even if I can only afford two or three pairs. Just because you got Emily to make everything easier for you doesn't mean we have the same. Stop being a self-centered bastard and think for a fucking minute. Not just about us as wolves, a pack or a reservation—but individually as humans!"

My rant ended and I was left breathing in through my mouth and out my nose, shaking uncontrollably. I managed to hold out until I finished what I had to say, before I phased, growling and digging my nails into the moist dirt to keep from doing something stupid. Pissed didn't even begin to cover it. Rage blanketed over my vision, but Jake's hand landing on the scruff of my neck managed to bring me back to my senses.

How dare this fucker tell me what to do!

Sam was frowning down at the floor like a petulant child, not liking being called out one bit, but accepting my points all the same.

I was expecting him to walk away—to cool down. Not talk to me for a couple days before we finally talked again to try to fix our argument.

Ew. Relationship flashback.

But we couldn't put off a decision and we certainly weren't together so I wasn't willing to back down on this.

"You don't have to quit your job," Jacob finally said once I stopped shaking. I blinked up at him, surprised. "If you really don't want to quit your job and you say you can still do you duty as a wolf, then just change your schedule. That way you can still patrol with us and work too." He patted my neck, left side where I knew he knew made me weak in the knees. "That should be okay right?"

I had a lot to say and none of them were "okay". Still, it was the best we had at the moment and what Jacob was suggesting was pretty practical, even if I wanted to destroy something. So even though I growled, I also nodded.

"Sam?"

"...As long as she can patrol with us."

"Great," Jacob said with a somber nod. I felt robbed of winning, but didn't want to undermine Jacob's decision. "Anything else?"

"No. We begin tomorrow," Sam ordered before walking off to Emily.

I was still pissed as hell, so with a barked curse at Sam, I ran off into the woods.

Jacob didn't follow me.

* * *

**Um, wow this chapter really got away from me. It was actually supposed to be longer, but I got stuck on a conversation that Leah and Bella were having and how it would affect the rest of the story in the long run. Inspiration's a bitch like that—always having to accommodate the lazy whore.**

**Anyway, I'm on twitter now so if you want to follow my random musings on any of my stories the link is on my profile.**

**Thanks for being so patient and reading.**


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